Wings That Change
by Birch66724
Summary: Just as Berk is settling down after the defeat of the Red Death, a new Night Fury rider is spotted on the horizon. She is sure the stir up more than a little suspicion with all of the secretes she brings with her. She's come in search of answers, but may only find more questions...
1. Prologue

"_Are you sure this is a good idea?" _Ayla froze her body stiff as she sent the thought out to Trev. The large Nightfury gliding next to her shot her a glance.

"_Worry wart." _Came Trev's reply. Ayla huffed and shook her head, feeling her heartbeat speed up as the ship came into view. They were on a mission. A mission that was one in a long series, bringing them closer to their goal.

The warm spring sunlight felt wonderful on Ayla's back as she deftly glided in the stream of air flowing off Trev's wings. It had been a long, harsh winter cooped up in a tiny cave with Trev. They couldn't fly very well in the winter, preferring to go into a type of hibernation mode to save from having to hunt the scare prey that came with the arrival of the snow and ice.

They had been hot on the tail of something, or rather, someone, when the season change came along and extinguished their excitement with mounds of snow taller than a fully grown Deadly Nadder.

Trev hummed and looked over his shoulder at her. Ayla nodded and peeled away, beating her sleek wings into a headwind that sprung up with the change of direction. No words were needed to understand her partner. They had the whole thing planned out and rehearsed, as to avoid any deathly errors or lapses in judgement.

Ayla could feel the pressure building deep inside her abdomen, in what she assumed was her liver. She shook her head to clear the cloudy vision brought on by the separation and set her sights on the sheer cliff side. The agreed upon meeting place.

Behind her, the signature scream of a Nightfury dive whistled from Trev's tail fins. A sharp blast and splintering of wood were the next sounds to travel out across the vast open sea. Ayla sped up and soon stood on two feet on top of the towering wall of rock. She quickly pulled on the clothes she had laid there earlier that morning and waited for Trev's arrival and his cargo.

Her vision swam and the pressure moved from her liver to her head in this new form. Just barely, through the rivers that flowed through the images she saw, a black dot was growing larger and larger, until it encompassed her entire field of vision.

Then, as if with the snap of fingers, the river and the pressure was gone. Ayla snatched up her blade from its hilt on the dirt beside her and Trev made a sloppy landing due to the extra weight he had clutched to his chest.

A man, clearly of Nord origins, was quite literally quaking in his boots. Trev shook his body and bared his teeth at the man when he stood and started to back away. He stopped with a spooked look, then found Ayla.

"Run lass!" He waved her away, wild terror in his eyes.

Ayla smiled and shook her head. "Are you from Berk?" She asked.

The man looked dumbfounded. "Aye, I am." He said warily, glancing at the Nightfury flanking him.

"Is it true that you have a dragon that looks like him living there?" Ayla gestured to Trev.

The Nord man looked between both of them. "What are you some kind of mad woman?" He asked. His long beard rustled in the strong wind rolling off the sea.

"Answer the question." Ayla brandished the knife. Her voice came out harsher than she intended.

"I don't know if I should be-"

Trev growled.

"Aye! We do." He conceded.

Ayla nodded in satisfaction. "Thank you. That's all we need from you." She turned and walked down the slope of the cliff face, leaving Trev to do with the man.

"Woah! Lass! What is he going to-" The man's question was cut off by a burly scream and Ayla's familiar cloudy vision returned as Trev flew off.

**AN_**

**Hello! Welcome to the prologue of Wings that Change!**

**To clarify, yes, Ayla can change back and froth between a human form and that of a Nightfury. Normally, I don't like stories like this, but once I started writing one, I had a blast! **

**This is just the prologue... The regular chapters are between 3,000-6,000 words. :)**

**Thanks for checking out Wings that Change, hope to see you back here!**

**-Birch66724**


	2. Apart and Together

All was well with Berk. Hiccup yawned and reclined on Toothless's back, closing his eyes against the pale yellow spring sunlight. The air still retained its chill, but with a cloudless sky, flying was too tempting to resist after a full grounded winter.

"This is the life, bud." Hiccup sighed into the wind, scratching his dragon on the side as he warbled in agreement. They flew lazy circles above Berk and the surrounding forests, relishing in the pure joy of being back up in the air again.

Hiccup had escaped his Father's daily lecture that morning, slipping out the back door before Stoick had even awoken. Without his imposing words looming above Hiccup's head all day, his mood had drastically improved. Combine that with the change of season and the return of the wild dragons to Berk, nothing could be better.

_Well, maybe one thing. _Hiccup thought ruefully, letting his mind wander to a certain blond haired girl. Hiccup shook his head and pressed the heels of his hands into his eyes, groaning slightly as he sat back up. He looked at Toothless who had his eyes closed is bliss, soaring on stiff wings.

"Speak of Loki." Hiccup muttered aloud, spotting a bright blue Nadder take off from the edge of town. On its back, the girl who remained the pinnacle focus of Hiccup's mind no matter what he did. He watched as Stormfly squawked loudly and tossed her head in joy as she rose above the village. Toothless also spotted the fellow dragon and angled his wings accordingly to cross paths with her.

"Feels good to be back in the air again, huh?" Astrid called out as she came close.

Hiccup smiled and nodded in agreement. Astrid's hair shone gold in the sunlight as it fought free of her braid on the wind. She was smiling unabashedly, stroking her dragon's neck as the swoop low over the treetops.

Toothless and Stormfly played at each other as they coasted, their riders having given them free reign to fly as they like. Hiccup struggled for something to say to Astrid. He never could find the right words or the right tone or the right time to say anything. He frowned at his own frustration as Toothless wove his way through the sea stacks, his destination becoming evident as he banked right.

Alighting on the top of a particularly green outcropping of rock, he wildly shook out his body, launching a glob of saliva from his partially open mouth onto Astrid as she dismount Stormfly when the pair had landed.

"Nice going!" She laughed brightly.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Hiccup muttered, moving to wipe the slobber from her sleeve. She shrugged and their eyes met, just long enough to make Hiccup's face turn red. He crouched down, discarding the mess from his fingers to the newly sprouted grass.

"It's been three years." Astrid said.

"Huh?"

"Three years. Since the defeat of the dragon nest."

"Oh yeah. I guess it has." Hiccup followed her gaze out over he waves in the direction of the fateful island. Nothing was visible from Berk of course, but a certain sort of feeling overcame Hiccup when he purposefully looked towards the horizon in that direction.

"I wonder if my foot's still there." Hiccup said with a chuckle and a shake of his metal prosthetic.

Astrid gave him a little scoff and a shove on the shoulder as she moved to sit on the edge of the outcropping, dangling her feet over the swirling blue waters. Hiccup followed her, after waiting for a tusling pair of dragons to roll past him.

"I never imagined things would come this far." Hiccup said.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, in Berk. I never thought they would change. You know, big burly Vikings. Stubborn as they make 'em." Hiccup leaned back on one hand.

"You know it's all because of you." Astrid raised a brow at him. Hiccup squeezed his eyes closed and shook his head.

"It was all Toothless. If he hadn't given me a chance that day...well."

"Don't say that. Sure, Toothless was part of it, but no one would have listened to just a dragon." Astrid spoke earnestly, in a way that she did rarely.

Hiccup gave her a sad smile. "I just wish there was something I could do for him."

Astrid didn't respond, instead returning her gaze to the horizon and scooted closer so that her leg brushed against Hiccup's.

The gesture didn't set Hiccup's heart racing like it normally would have. He was too wrapped up it his previous thoughts.

"He's all alone here."

"No he isn't! He has you, and all the other dragons." Astrid protested.

"No other _Nightfuries._" Hiccup reiterated.

"We don't even know if there are any other Nightfuries."

"That's the thing. Now we'll never know, because Toothless can't go searching for them. He's stuck here."

"He is not stuck. He wants to be here. He wouldn't leave you." Astrid's narrowed eyes and tone hinted that she was starting to get irritated with Hiccup's words.

"I'm just worried about him is all." Hiccup dropped the topic. Astrid straightened right up, fixing Hiccup with a small smile.

"Of course you are. He's your best friend." Astrid stood and offered a hand to Hiccup. He took it and she pulled him up. Astrid didn't let go a second, her eyes flickering up and down before she leaned over and gave Hiccup a quick kiss on the cheek.

"We should get back." She said, whistling for Stormfly and flying off before Hiccup even recovered.

He sighed, swinging a leg over Toothless and following her. That was all it ever was between them. Small conversations and awkward tensions. Sometimes a peck on the cheek, but that was all. Despite what everyone else in the village thought.

X*X*X*X*X*

"What is going on?" Hiccup called over the wind as their dragons made their descent into the heart of the village where a large crowd was gathered.

"I don't know, something must have happened." Astrid called a reply as Stormfly landed heavily on her large outstretched feet. Toothless beat his wings backwards, allowing him a silent, gently landing on the cobblestone street.

Hiccup shared a look with Astrid as they heard yelling from the large crowd. Something was definitely off. The resident dragons were nervously stood atop houses or off a distance from the crowd with eyes watchfully tracing men and wings slightly opened, as if ready to take flight at any moment.

Pushing to the forefront of the crowd to gain a better view, Hiccup saw a shaken looking Fenrig. He was one of the older fishermen that lived on Berk, spending most of his time at sea as he never married.

Stoick the Vast, chief of Berk, was trying to silence the crowd with little success. Hiccup saw the reason for the dragons' wariness as weapons glinted in the air from some hands around the gathering. Hiccup signalled for Toothless who had stuck to the outskirts of the gathering.

He jumped over the heads of the crowd with a swift downbeat, set to land beside Hiccup in the slight open space in the middle, but something happened.

Several people screamed when they saw the black shape loom over them, ducking and darting away. Toothless pulled up short when an axe was drawn on him.

"Hey!" Hiccup yelled, running to his startled dragon and shielding him from the axe-bearing Nord man, whom he recognized as on of Fenrig's fellow fishermen.

"I'll kill the beast that put a hole in me best ship!" The man yelled for all to hear as the event had successfully silenced the crowd. _Not the way I was planning to do it, but oh well. _ Hiccup thought as he lowered the axe for the man, whose name escaped him at the moment.

His comment sent the crowd into outrage again. Knives were unsheathed and voices rose. Toothless turned tail and fled the village square with a glance back at Hiccup.

Hiccup was now irritated and stomped up to his Father, looking for an explanation.

"What happened?" He asked, glancing at Fenrig who stood wide eyed, looking at the spot up the street where Toothless disappeared around a corner.

"Couldn't tell you!" Stoick boomed, waving madly to silence the crowd. After several minutes, yells and shouts died down to faint mutterings and all weapons were put away. Or at least lowered.

"Now" Stoik began with a heavy sigh. "Please tell us all what happened, Fenrig."

The man looked meek for his large stature, his eyes downcast and his hands fidgeting as he began to recount his tale.

"Well, ay uh, I was taken, right off me ship, by one of them beaties." He looked up at Hiccup and guestured up the street. "A big black one."

"A Nightfury?" Hiccup breathed.

"Looked just like yers."

"I never trusted that thing!" "Once a killer, always a killer!" "Ay!"

Cries of outrage went up all around the square, chilling Hiccup to the bone. It had been almost three years, he thought everyone was over this!

"Woah!" Hiccup shouted, walking in a slow circle to encompass everyone with a calming gesture. "It was not my dragon. I was with him all afternoon."

"No, yer right it wasn't yers." Fenrig agreed, finding his voice and speaking a bit louder. "It was a huge one, with a big 'ole scar right across his face."

Fenrig's conformation did little to calm the group though. The shifted around agaitedly, muttered and fingering hilts. _Once a Viking, always a Viking. They need something to fight. _Hiccup thought sarcastically.

"It blasted the deck, an' scooped me right up! Right out of the water." Fenrig continued, getting into his storyteller mode that he often assumed at meals in the Great Hall.

"He carried me up, up, up, I was scared the damn thing was gon' drop me. But oh no, it landed right on a cliff and set me down."

Everyone waited with baited breath. It had been quite a time since anything this interesting had been told about.

"An' you'll never guess what was waiting right there. I wouldn'ta believed it myself if I hadn't seen her wit me own eyes." Hiccup knew Fenrig was over his initial shock as he held everyone in the village with his story.

"A girl. Standin' right there an all, just a waiting for me. Then she asked me where I was from. An' you know, I didn't want to tell her or anything, but the beastie, boy was he big, started a snarlin'."

Hiccup furrowed his brow. _A girl? Another dragon rider? Another Nightfury rider?_

"So, I told her, Berk. An then she asked me if we had one of them dragons here, so you know, I told her yes. Then she just nodded an walked away! The big 'ole beatie scooped me right back up and plopped me right down on the ship! Damndest thing you ever saw!" Fenrig finished.

"Ay! I was there too! Saw the whole thing!"

The crowd erupted in voices, calling out questions, calling out accusations. Hiccup could hardly hear the voices of everyone around him. Thoughts swirled around and around his mind like fish caught in a barrel. Toothless wasn't the last Nightfury! And he wasn't the only Nightfury rider!

A giddy feeling of excitement rose in Hiccup as he pushed through the crowd as dashed up the street towards home. They needed to find these two before they moved on. This could be their only chance to find someone like them. Hiccup vaguely heard Astrid call after him, but he couldn't stop for her right now. His footsteps echoed after him, one real, one metallic as he ducked under a clothesline and startled a flock of Terrible Terrors in his haste.

Toothless was, as Hiccup expected him to be, perched on the back slope of the Haddock's roof. He warbled a greeting are warily crept down, glancing around.

"Toothless! Did you hear?" Hiccup took his dragon's wide head in his hands. "Well, obviously you didn't, you were here." Hiccup paused, looking into Toothless's eyes as the dragon looked at him expectantly, clearly sensing his excitement.

"You're not the only one. There is another Nightfury." Hiccup said slowly. Toothless blinked and seemed to consider the words. Then, his frills went up and his eyes grew hugely round. His large mouth fell open in a gummy smile as he warbled and pranced around, running up to Hiccup and snuffling at him in clear suggestion.

"Just let me grab a few things!" Hiccup laughed at Toothless's antics, dashing through the door and grabbing a leather satchel from the hook by the door. He hurried to the kitchen and tossed in a few apples, a loaf of bread and some hard tack.

Toothless shoved his head through the partially open door, panting in his excitement as he trailed Hiccup with his eyes as the boy hurried about the house. Toothless knew better than to come into the house.

Hiccup dashed up the stairs, almost tripping as the edge of his metal foot caught on the top step, be he quickly righted himself as he snatched a clean tunic and a spare leg attachment. Hiccup himself was practically quivering with his excitement. _Think of how much we can learn from each other! Maybe she just wants to come to Berk and live here! Toothless would be so happy with another Nightfury around!_

If their flight earlier that day tired Toothless out at all, he definitely wasn't showing it. His shoulders shook as he bounded around the front of the house as swished his tail to and fro, nearly knocking Hiccup right off his feet as he returned outside.

"Woah! Hold still, bud!" Hiccup was chuckling without reason as he fiddled with the straps if Toothless's saddle. Well, not for no reason. He wildest dream had seemingly come true. In his haste packing, Hiccup realized he had forgotten his leather notebook and charcoal pencil. He stopped with his leg part way of Toothless's back and darted back inside as fast as his leg would allow.

"Where is it?" He muttered, dropping to the floor and peering under the bed when the pencil had dropped off the desk and rolled. "Ah!" He snatched it up and took the stairs two at a time.

The sight waiting for him back outside the door was not what he wanted. At all. Stoick stood, one hand resting on the deflated looking Toothless. The black dragon was grumbling under his breath. Astrid stood off to the side, looking at Hiccup with round blue eyes.

"Son." Stoick's voice tore Hiccup's gaze away from the girl. "What is it you're doing?"

Hiccup sighed. He hated when his father used this calm passive voice. He obviously knew what was going on, but it was as if he needed to hear Hiccup say it aloud just so he could heave a heavy sigh and shake his head in obvious disappointment.

"This is not what a chief does, Hiccup! A chief can't run off on the slightest whim." Stoick took several intimidating steps towards Hiccup, who set his jaw to avoid voicing his disdain at the moment.

"You know nothing about this rouge rider! She could be entire made up, some ruse to draw you out to sea. Some trick to get you captured."

"Oh come on. That doesn't happen!"

"Yes it does." Stoick stood firm, crossing his thick forearms over his graying beard. "By someone who thinks holding the Chief's son ransom will draw Berk into war. That sort of thing has happened since, since forever."

Hiccup spared a glance towards Astrid as his father's spiel about chiefly behavior went on, as it always did. She mouthed a _sorry _and gave him an amused expression before turning on a heel and hurrying off, leaving Hiccup to stew in his father loathing alone.

Toothless continued to grumble as he stalked away from Stoick and plopped on the ground beside Hiccup with a defeated thump.

"I know, I'm sorry dad. It's just-"

"I won't hear it. And I won't have you flying off."

Hiccup sighed and rolled his eyes, more than ready to be done with this conversation. "Yes Dad."

"You need to start taking this more seriously Hiccup. I won't always be around and someday you will need to lead this village." The great man's voice softened a touch, like the sea ice when the first rays of spring sunlight cast down on it.

"I do take it seriously, but there is time. I need to explore, and just think! There are more Nightfuries out there Dad! Don't you see what a huge deal that is?"

"That is the difference between us Hiccup. I am more concerned about my shaken men and destroyed fishing boat than a dragon sighting." WIth that, Stoick walked back down to the town square, leaving Hiccup standing with visions of a mysterious girl soaring atop a fearsome black dragon.

**Ayla's POV**

It was one of those rare moments when Trev actually sat and talked with Ayla in his gruff human voice. His dark hair hung shaggily around his neck and brushed his shoulders as he reclined his head against the rock behind them. One leg was stretched in front on him with the other bent at the knee, his hands clasped around his shin.

He looked rather thoughtful as he gazed from the mouth of the small cave over the water, were a tiny speck called Berk could be seen. It looked so insignificant from their vantage point, but what it held could change their lives forever.

"Are you still sure you want to do this?" Trev rolled his head along the rough rock until his eyes looked down at Ayla. She looked at her lap for a moment.

"We're not committing to anything. We'll just go there and see if it's really true."

The moments passed in silence. Ayla shuffled her position on the rock, wrapping her arms around herself as the chilly breeze blew in.

They had found a small cave quiet by accident several days before, in the side of a sea stack a few miles from the island of Berk. It seemed to make the perfect home for them in the time leading up to their mission since they had woken up from the hibernation over the winter. It was uninhabited, by either humans or dragons, high enough up that even wind driven waves didn't splash inside, close to Berk, and large enough to fit two Nightfuries.

"Thanks Trev." Ayla said quietly.

"For what?"

"You know, this." She nodded out towards the island.

"If it's what you want, I'll do it." He spoke in confidence.

"I think it is."

"You think? Ayla, this is what you've wanted forever."

"But what if it doesn't work?"

"It will. You need to trust in that. But if it doesn't, there is always shelter under my wing." Trev spoke all the right words. He always had. Not that Ayla had anyone to compare it to, as she had lived alone with just Trev for just about her whole life, but that didn't need getting into at the moment.

"I think I'll take you up on the offer. I'm exhausted." Ayla said with a yawn.

"Says you! I'm the one that had to carry that yak of a man!" Trev joked as they stood and stripped of their garments. Ayla laughed, then simultaneously shivered as the cool air met with her bare human flesh.

She thought and Trev thought, granting them both permission to change into their dragon forms. With a brief sizzle of barely perceptible blue light, two adult Nightfuries stood in the cave. The larger of the two, Trev, had a large scar running the length of his face, from his right ear, down across his eye and ending on his nose. He was pure black and of a rather impressive stature. He towered over the other dragon.

Their size difference didn't bother Ayla any. It only made sense as she was a female and he was a male. Her whole body was smaller, but her head was roughly the same size, just more shaped. She had a thinner face and one less set of head frills. The spines running along her back were tipped in white, as if a frost had settled over her back.

She yawned a wide, toothless yawn as Trev flamed the rock floor in a blue flash, heating it up for the both of them. He lay down on the hot rock with a small groan of pleasure, lifting a wing for Ayla as she padded over, curling up against Trev's side.

It only made sense for them to sleep in this manner. It was too cold out yet for them to sleep in their human bodies without a fire, and it would be an unnecessary task to fly somewhere to gather wood, as nothing but coarse grass grew on the sea stacks. Not to mention that Trev hardly ever spent more than five minutes as a human, preferring to stay a dragon all of the time.

That was not the case for Ayla. As much as she enjoyed the flying and the fire breathing, or shooting more aptly called, there was a certain draw to being a human that she couldn't quite name. Something just felt more right about it. That was something that she never talked to Trev about though. He didn't need to know just how intense her desire was to live in the human world. Of course, he knew some, which was the whole purpose of finding Berk, but in the same way that he was willing to do this for her, she was willing find a way to allow Trev to still live the life that he wanted.

It was a well rehearsed relationship the two of them had, somewhere between siblings and a old mated couple, as odd as that may sound. They had the teasing, playful spite of brother sister and the familiar intimacy of two people that had spent their entire lives together. It wasn't something that either of them really talked about, it just something that was.

It was in the same way that they were both human and dragon. It was in that same way that they couldn't spend more than a few minutes apart without repercussions. It was in that same that they had no idea why they were like this. It was in the same way that they were chasing after the only hope they could find. It was in the same way that the last true Nightfury in the world was their only hope of discovering the truth.

**AN_**

**The****_italicized_ sentences are those exchanged between Ayla and Trev in their heads. Also, Ayla and Trev are NOT related. **

**Please ask any questions if you have them and thanks for reading. **

**-Birch66724**


	3. Forest Meeting

"I don't pay ya to stand around boyo!" Gobber yelled over the loud crackling of the forge.

"You don't pay me at all!"

"True." Gobber shrugged and began to beat on a small hunk of metal. Hiccup sighed and set aside his journal where he had been touching up his sketch from the previous night. Stoick had keep him busy all morning and now Gobber was keeping him locked in the forge to help form nails.

Hiccup had taken a break to wipe the sweat from his brow. And no sooner then he had picked up the journal, Gobber was on him.

"Isn't this more of a one person job?" Hiccup asked as Gobber dropped his completed nail into a bucket of water.

"What are you trying to say?" Gobber fixed him with a harsh look.

"I mean, I haven't been able to fly Toothless yet today, so I'm sure his wings are just itching to hit the skies." Hiccup started, but after seeing that Gobber remained unimpressed, he added; "And I haven't seen Astrid yet today. "

That put a smug grin on Gobber's face, just as Hiccup knew it would. The man loved nothing more than to tease Hiccup about his budding little relationship.

"Oh, I see. Uh huh! Little lass got ya wrapped right 'round her finger eh?"

"Um, sure?"

"Oh, ho ho!" Gobber laughed, clutching his good hand to his shaking belly.

"So, can I go…?" Hiccup tested, creeping towards the door.

"Not so fast!" Gobber yelled, pointing his hammer at Hiccup, who groaned and slowly turned around. "You think that you can just flounce on outta here, without sharin' with 'ole Gobber now?"

"There isn't much to share." Hiccup chose the words carefully, fiddling with one hand on the doorknob that lead to his freedom from the awkward conversation.

"Well, sure there is now." Gobber crossed his arms on the workbench in front of him, expectantly waiting for Hiccup to share.

"No, there really isn't." Hiccup repeated. "I'm not even sure that, we're… together."

"Oh, don't give me that!" Gobber laughed, causing Hiccup to scowl. "Anyone with a brain can see the eyes you two make at each other across the Great Hall."

"Mm."

"Oh, don't despair boyo. Girls are mighty confusing. Part of the reason I never married."

"Well, thanks Gobber, this was.. nice."

"Get outta here then! Go find that little lass."

Hiccup didn't need to be told twice. He grabbed his journal and ducked out the door, relief washing over him like the cool breeze off the sea. Gobber liked to get too personal, especially when it came to Astrid.

Hiccup felt the heat cool from his cheeks as he walked off, up the hill towards the house. He met a few people, going about their daily tasks; hanging washing on the line, tending to sheep, cleaning out their dragon's stalls. He nodded and waved politely as he scanned the village for signs of Toothless.

After walking the length of the village and check around the house, there was still no sign of the Night Fury. Hiccup sighed and chalked it up to the scare the dragon had gotten last night when he had weapons drawn against him. He was probably sleeping in a tree somewhere in the forest.

Hiccup sat down on the front steps of his house for a moment, considering what to do. It hadn't been his original plan to find Astrid, but he didn't like to lie to Gobber, and with no way of knowing where Toothless was, he was left with little else to do.

Standing back up, he stretched out his back before making his way towards the academy, the most likely place to find Astrid these days. Hiccup again marvelled at how far Berk had come in just a few short years. They had effectively gone from a dragon fighting clan to a dragon riding clan, and the change couldn't be any better. No longer was their fear every night of if you would wake to your roof set aflame. No one slept with an axe in the bed beside them or their helmet will on. Dragons weren't something to be feared, but something to be treasured and appreciated for all the good they could do.

Some people thought of their dragons as pets, which made sense for some of the smaller ones like Terrible Terrors, but Hiccup always saw them in a different regard, Toothless especially. The Night Fury had a spark in his eyes, something that an animal didn't have that showed intelligence and compassion. Hiccup had long swore that the dragon could talk, what with all the different varieties of noises he could make, but had always come up at a loss when he tried to decipher the messages the grumbles and warbles held.

Hiccup was so lost in thought when he entered the academy, that he almost ran smack into a purple and red Monstrous Nightmare. The dragon roared loudly, sniffing Hiccup up and down as he sidestepped it, holding out his hands to the beast. It huffed and spun around, landing in front of two familiar shapes on the far side of the arena.

"Hey Hiccup!" The smaller one called out with a big wave.

"Hi Gustav." Hiccup greeted the younger boy. "How are you coming along with Fanghook?"

"Good! Astrid is teaching us so much!" He practically screamed. The Nightmare growled and shook his head.

"Remember Gustav. Dragons have sensitive ears." Astrid reminded the eager boy. He nodded and leaned towards Hiccup.

"She's so smart." He whispered.

"Mm." Hiccup tried to hide his amused expression as he shot a glance up at Astrid, who's mild expression told him all he needed to know.

"Go on now Gustav. That's all we're going over today." Astrid dismissed the boy, who scampered out of the arena with one more glance over his shoulder at the older girl.

"Having fun with that one now aren't you?" Hiccup teased.

"Oh yeah." Astrid said through a long exhale. "He's a handful."

Hiccup followed Astrid as she walked down through a tunnel, into the room underneath the arena where she had created an office like space for herself. Hiccup had been the one running the arena for the past 2 and a half years, but Stoick pulled him from that position to '_start learning how to be a chief'_. Astrid had been the obvious replacement, as she had been helping him out for years, and she was doing a great job in Hiccup's opinion.  
"What brings you down here?" Astrid asked, leaning over the desk to light a lantern on the wall.

"Nothing really. Just came to see you."

Astrid gave him a quick glance before asking again. "Why are you down here Hiccup?"

"Can't I come just to see you?"

Astrid frowned. "You can." She said warily. The awkward tension was palpable in the small room and Hiccup leaned against the stone wall and Astrid stood in the middle of the floor, the flickering lantern casting her shadow in the bumpy stone behind her.

"Okay." Hiccup said, crossing and uncrossing his arms, glancing everywhere but Astrid's face. Then she started to laugh. First it was a small giggle, but it soon morphed into full blown hysterics. Hiccup watched with raised brows as Astrid's shoulders shook, then he started to laugh as she doubled over, but hit her forehead on the back of the chair.

She stood up, clutching her head with watery eyes from laughing so hard. Hiccup snorted and moved towards her, wrapping his arms around her back. Astrid leaned into him, still shaking. Hiccup kissed to spot on her forehead and that quieted her up real quick.

Hiccup had never made the first move towards her.

She froze his arms.

He quickly released her and stepped back, looking at the floor.

Hiccup could feel her blue gaze on him.

"Will you help me find Toothless? I think he's hiding after what happened last night."

"Sure."

The pair of teenagers walked back up into the light of he , Astrid's Deadly Nadder, was squawking for her rider. The great blue dragon rushed over, nosed Hiccup aside and nuzzled Astrid.

"Hey girl." Astrid crooned, scratching the dragon until it lay down at her feet, purring. Hiccup watched the connection between the two and almost felt slightly jealous. He quickly pushed the thought from his head. _Great, now I'm jealous of a dragon._

"Come on Stormfly." Astrid called as the three of them started up the road towards the woods. The village was busier now, as the fishing boats had just returned with the days' catch, which was being distributed to the feeding stations and the storehouses. Eager dragons followed men with baskets of fish around, begging for a morsel.

Astrid and Hiccup bypassed the commotion and found a path that lead into the forest. Late afternoon sunlight streamed weakly through the budding tree branches. Small ferns shoved their way through the thawing ground and small animals scampered about, much to the interest of Stormfly. She thrilled at the passing of each such creature, darting after it.

Astrid was amused at the dragon, watching her play about in the scarce underbrush, Hiccup scanned the forest floor for signs of Toothless. It shouldn't be too hard to find a huge black flightless reptile roaming the woods.

As it turns out, it was not so easy. But Toothless found them before they found him. He came bounding down the path, his green eyes alight in a way Hiccup hadn't seen before.

"Hey bud! Where have you been?" Hiccup called. Toothless bounced over to him and covered him from head to toe in slobber, much to Astrid continued amusement.

Ugh!" Hiccup shook his hands to rid them of sticky saliva. Toothless warbled his laughter to join in with Astrid and Stormfly tilted her head confused by the whole encounter. Hiccup sighed and chuckled before he got an idea. He ran his now clean hands over his slobber covered tunic and grabbed Astrid. She yelped and tried to pull away but Hiccup had a hold on her, smearing slobber on her arms.

"Hiccup!" She shrieked with laughter. Stormfly seemed to think Hiccup was hurting her rider, so she snuffled her big head into the affair, knocking the two right onto the ground.

Hiccup laughed as Toothless came over and plopped his massive head right on top of him. All his breath left him in a huff and Toothless gave a satisfied grumble before nudgeding both Hiccup and Astrid to their feet.

He padded back down the path, looking over his shoulder and swishing his tail. The single fin waved in anticipation.

"Does he want us to follow him?" Astrid asked, brushing dead leaves from her pants.

"I think so." Hiccup said. "Is that what you want bud? You have something to show us?" Toothless bobbed his head up and down and bounded deeper into the woods. Hiccup and Astrid shared a glance before following him.

He pranced away, looking over his shoulder every now and again to make sure the humans were following.

"I've never seen him like this before." Hiccup mused as he waited for Astrid to duck under a low hanging branch. She shook her head in agreement.

Toothless lead them to a small clearing and ran around in circles, bellowing into the trees. Hiccup and Astrid stepped out onto the grass, but saw nothing. Toothless looked lost and confused. He sniffed the ground, but couldn't seem to find what he was looking for.

None of them saw the black tail slipping silently over the treetops, racing away, out over the sea.

**Ayla's POV**

"_And how do you suggest we go about finding this strange Night Fury?" _Trev asked, more for Ayla's sake than his own, as he was quite preoccupied with the mouse he had caged between his claws.

"Let that poor thing go before you kill it!" Ayla scolded, tugging Trev's huge black paw up from the ground. Of course, she in her human form was not nearly strong enough to accomplish such a feat, but Trev compiled and released the mouse despite that fact. He grumbled and shook his head as the tiny grey creature darted into the brush. Ayla stared after it.

"I'm not sure."

"_Oh." _

"Well, I tell you what I think." Ayla turned to the unhelpful Night Fury at her side. Trev looked down on her through his massive brown eyes.

"I don't think it would be a good idea for me to meet him like this." Ayla gesture to herself.

"_You said you were going to tell me what you do think, not what you don't think."_

"I swear to the lighting Trev!" Ayla yelled, but she couldn't keep the amusement from her face well enough for her words to have any real loft. Trev chortled and hopped backwards, his long tail swishing in a pleasant manner.

"I _DO _think that you need to get more serious if we are going to pull this off."

"_Yeah, me too." _Trev padded back to Ayla's side. "_But that doesn't mean I will." _Trev swung his tail in a loop in front of his body, knocking Ayla in the backs of her knees, sending her to the ground with a yelp. Trev could barely contain his deep chuckling long enough to break her fall.

Ayla grumbled and she slapped Trev on the top of the head. "Weak human legs."

"_You're the one who likes them!" _

"I never said that! I just said I want to learn more about the humans, but that wasn't ever possible because you're scared as a toad in the shadow of an eagle near the villages!"

"_You take that back!" _Trev bellowed, his voice so loud in Ayla's head that it made her skull throb.

Ayla stuck her tongue out in backlash, ducking behind a tree before Trev could retaliate. To her surprise, Trev didn't even attempt anything. Ayla peeked out from behind the rough bark a few seconds later to see Trev standing on his back legs, his ears swiveling around intently. Ayla also listened, but she couldn't hear a thing.

_Weak human e- _She was thinking to herself when Trev abruptly clasped her under the arms and swooped upwards. Ayla stifled a yelp of surprise as she was promptly whisked into the dense branches of the pine tree behind her.

Trev released her abruptly, leaving Ayla to scrabble through the needles to get a good grip on the branch.

Her companion was back on the ground by the time Ayla had righted herself. She slowly inched forwards to secure a hold on the sturdy truck while she kept an eye on the edge of the small clearing where they had been playing a moment before.

Trev's ear frills were vibrating as he stood tall, clearly in anticipation.

"_Is it coming?" _Ayla reached out to him, freezing herself along the tree truck. Trev's lack of a response told her all she needed to know.

After what seemed like ages, Ayla was finally able to pick up the faint sound of something, or some_one, _pushing through the brush and the dead leaves. Then something moved just beneath the branches, or rather, it looked like the absence of something.

This was perhaps the biggest moment in Ayla and Trev's lives. They had never met another Night Fury in all their years and travels. They had long since dreamed of meeting another, and although they couldn't be considered exactly the same, a true Night Fury and whatever they were, it was meeting that was sure to change and impact them in more ways than they were able to know in that moment.

A twitching black nose pushed through the shrubbery. Trev stood erect, but in a non defensive position with his wings folded and all four feet back on the ground. He hummed deep in his throat, as if encouraging the new arrival into the open.

The rest of a face and a pair of piercing green eyes emerged. Ayla was captivated by those eyes. The black pupils were narrowed as if in slight suspicion, darting around the clearing. It was indeed a Night Fury, and if Ayla hadn't already known it deep in her bones, the intelligence those eyes held was more than enough confirmation. In all of the species of dragon Ayla had interacted with, none were as smart as curious as a Night Fury.

Of course, she only had Trev to base this analysis off of, but in all of the stories she had overheard, there was one common factor. The brains of a Night Fury could rival that of most Vikings it seemed.

She could tell this one was a male, because he had three sets of head frills instead of her own two. He was also larger than her form. From the ridges on his head, Ayla guessed he was around 20 years of age, maybe a few years younger.

The strange new dragon stepped two front paws into the clearing, his pupils rounding as he saw Trev in his calm stance. Cautiously, as if by moving too quickly the dragon in front of him could dissolve like sap in the water, the dragon inched forward, his neck outstretched and his eyes full of wonder.

Ayla wondered how long it had been since this Night Fury had seen another of his kind. She guessed many years, based on his disbelieving reaction.

After a long, slow walk, the two males stood just a claw length from one another, neither seeming as if her knew how to react. Ayla was too captivated to be of much help to Trev as she sat, fixated on the new arrival. He was so different, yet so familiar in a way that was etched into her very bones.

The male trilled, a warm rumbling sound and sniffed at Trev. His wing tips were held open, and he was trying to make himself stand taller, as Trev was at least a full head taller.

Trev didn't make noise in return, instead he sat back on his haunches. The new dragon copied his actions. The two sat and stared at each other.

"_What do I do?" _Trev asked, his voice barely a whisper in Ayla's head. She had no response. It was all she could do to stay rooted in place on the branch, much less formulate a plan on how to approach the matter of their very being.

Ayla's eyes traced up and down the Night Fury's body, taking all of the slight imperfections on his jet black scales. He had a scar on his back leg, and another down his side. There was spot under his chin where it looked like the scales had been scraped off, and his eyes. They were unlike anything Ayla had ever seen. They lacked the feral gleam that most dragon eyes contained. The green seemed to swim in the weak spring light as he held them wide open, clearly in awe of seeing another of his kind. He was not territorial or defensive, leading Ayla to believe that his thoughts must be something more than the traditional dragon's, to fight and defend.

Trev was just leaning forwards to sniff at him, when a human voice rang out through the woods.

"Toothless!"

The dragon's ears, swiveled back and he jumped to his feet. With a gentle roar and a look over his shoulder at Trev, he grumbled something and bounded over the shrub from which he entered the clearing and disappeared.

Ayla took a deep breath, steadying herself as she pulled away from the branch and started the climb down. One branch after the other as the ground drew nearer. She looked back at Trev, who was seemingly fixated on the place were the Night Fury had disappeared.

Ayla frowned as the human voice could be heard again. She was not ready to meet them yet.

"Trev!" She hissed from the branch about 10 feet high.

He shook his head and jumped over to her. Ayla released her grip and dropped onto his back with a thump.

"_Are we going...or?"_

"Yes. Go. Not today." She said, flattening herself on his back. He huffed and took a few running steps before launching himself into the air. Ayla glanced back over her shoulder as the Night Fury sprung into the clearing. She saw his brilliant green eyes find them in the air, but he didn't pursue them, only called out after them as two human figures came into view.

Trev banked around a stand of pines and the clearing was lost in the deep green forest. Ayla was deep in thought when Trev broke the silence several minutes later.

"_Well, that could have gone better." _Trev mused as they coasted over the white tops of the waves, back towards the relative safety of their cave.

"_I think it went fine." _Ayla replied although she wasn't quite sure what she thought. Not much had really happened

"_He can't talk, how are we ever going to learn anything from him?" _Trev huffed and shot a frustrated blast into the water, smoke blowing out from his nostrils. Ayla blinked in surprise. She hadn't known that Trev was this invested into this thing.

"_He was making all kinds of sounds."_

"_That's not talking Ayla."_

"_I think it is in his own regard!" _She snapped back at him.

"_How's that help us?"_

"_We're Night Furies, aren't we? We can make all those sounds."_

Trev was irritated, Ayla knew, but she was, well, she was a confused mess. Something about that strange dragon had fiddled with something deep inside her, and she had no words to explain it.

Trev rocked back and forth, slowly rising from the water's surface as Berk's shoreline shrunk behind them.

"_It is going to take forever to learn that."_

Ayla sighed onto his scales. But at least he wasn't refusing to do it.

"_What do we have if not time?"_

**AN_**

Hey guys! Here is Chapter 2! Hope you enjoyed it! Please review and tell me what you think :)

-Birch66724


	4. Night Flight

"Toothless! Bud, what's going on?" Hiccup called out, walking towards the distressed dragon. He didn't turn around though, his gaze fixed on point above the treetops. Hiccup was beginning to worry that something was wrong as he placed a hand on Toothless's flank, running it up his rough scales as he walked until he was even with his broad head. Still, Toothless would not turn.

"You don't have any of your rigging on. We can't go flying." Hiccup said softly, trying to interpret his intentions. Toothless warbled softly and bounded forward a few paces, leaving Hiccup with a hand outstretched to empty air.

Confused and slightly hurt by Toothless's momentary independence, Hiccup dropped his hand to his side and frowned.

"What's gotten into him?" Astrid asked, slowly walking to Hiccup's side.

"I don't know." Hiccup murmured. Toothless reared up on his hind legs and roared into the empty sky.

"Do you think someone was here?" Astrid asked gently. Hiccup could feel her glancing between himself and the dragon before them.

"He must still be upset over what happened yesterday." Hiccup said dismissively, turning away and starting back to the village.

"Wait!" Astrid called out after him. Hiccup didn't stop. He didn't want Astrid to see how upset he was, and he was sure his face was going to betray it. "We shouldn't leave him here, something obviously happened."

"He's a big dragon. He can take care of himself."

X*X*X*X*X*

Feeling rather poorly about his treatment to both Astrid and Toothless, Hiccup sat with his head in his hands, his elbows propped on the edge of his desk. Astrid hadn't followed him back to the village. Neither had Toothless for that matter, but Hiccup hadn't been expecting him to.

He had that sort of upset feeling that made the base of your throat feel twisted and restrained. As if you were going to shout something, but were frozen in place just as you opened your mouth to let out that first loud noise.

Hiccup swallowed, trying to dislodge the feeling, but to no avail. He sighed and lifted up his head, immediately seeing the old sketches and designs for Toothless's first prosthetic tail. The sight of them, although they were something that he saw nearly everyday, only further served to wrench his chest. They gave him a faintly nostalgic feeling, thinking back to when he first met the Night Fury in the forest, but that brought him back to the Night Fury who was, presumably, still in the forest.

Hiccup huffed and leaned back into the chair. His thoughts circled back to Astrid. They always seemed to that now a days. The awkward tension he had created in her office below the arena came rushing back as fast as the blush crept back into his cheeks.

He audibaly groaned at the memory, only a few hours old, yet so deeply ingrained he feared he might never forget about it. The way she was laughing. _What was she even laughing about? _Hiccup sat up and blinked. For the life of him, he could not seem to remember what she was laughing about! But anyhow, that wasn't the problem. The problem was, was that he was an absolute failure when it came to anything romantic.

He grabbed his journal with resolve to write her a letter of apology, but as fate would have it, the leather bound book fell right open to the sketch from the previous night. The Night Fury and the mysterious girl.

Hiccup's breath hitched in his throat. _What could possibly make Toothless act like that, if not another Night Fury? _

"Oh, no, no." He muttered, pushing back his chair and jumping to his feet. Or foot.

He dashed down the stairs and snatched his fur vest from the hook by the door. On the floor, all of Toothless's rigging and his saddle and tail fin lay in a jumbled mess where Hiccup had dropped them the night before.

His breath came heavier as he struggled with the tangled mess, obscene possibilities running through head.

"Why do I never listen?" He muttered. "Of course we should be wary of this new person." The chest piece that looped between Toothless's front legs came loose from the pile.

"Who knows what this crazy person and her-" He tugged at the thin strap of leather that ran from the pedal on the side of the saddle to the fin. "-gigantic Night Fury."

Hiccup grunted as the last of the gear was sorted. He carefully rolled it up and stuffed into the satchel. The fin was much too long to fit completely into the pack, so the red fabric was waving out the top.

Pushing through the door, he continued to talk to himself.

"I should stop and think. Probably shouldn't go into the woods by myself, okay. I should go the the Great Hall and get some help." He started down the road at a jog.

"Astrid is, well, she might be mad at me." He sidestepped a Gronkle who had fallen asleep in the middle of the road. "But, who else could I ask? Snotlout? No. Just no. The twins? Too loud. Fishlegs? Too, oh what's the right word." Hiccup grumbled to himself, feeling even worse now that he was talking about his friends like that.

The sounds and smells of the Great Hall came to his senses long before the actual sight of the building. Stew and mead and loud voices. The sunset was orange on the horizon has Hiccup jogged down the slight hill into the middle of town, where everyone was sure to be gathered at this hour to eat supper.

Torches glowed on the outside's of the doors of the Great Hall, illuminating the grey street below and the weathered wooden walls of its construction. Several dragons were perched in, on, or around the large building and some people were spilling out the open doors with mugs in the hands.

Hiccup ducked around them and entered the bousterious setting. People were talkative and in good spirits that evening, as they were most every spring, when they could finally leave the confines of their homes for more than a few minutes without freezing to death.

Hiccup nodded to several people and stepped around several others who were trying to entertain him into a conversation. Ever since become the 'Savior of Berk' that fateful day on Dragon Island, that was the way things were. It was nice for a change, to be recognized and noticed, but it had quickly lost its novelty and turned into a pain.

He smiled and nodded at someone who was telling him something he couldn't make out, probably because he had continued to walk as she had started to talk, and made his way to their table. The one in the farthest back corner, when Fishlegs could read and the twins could argue without consequence.

To his relief, all five of them were sitting there in the dimly lit corner, empty bowls and mugs on the table. Snotlout had recently taken up the whole mead thing, and he was, well, more like Snotlout than the old Snotlout had been.

"Hey Hiccer." He slurred slightly, saluting him as he approached the table.

"Don't call me that." Hiccup shook his head and said quickly, straddling the bench and facing Astrid where she sat, twirling a small blade between her fingers.

"I'm sorry I left you, I was just-" He said quietly, as not to be overheard by the other occupants of the table.

"Upset?" She said loudly, the knife stilling in her hands. The words brought the attention of the twins, who started unabashedly, Snotlout, who was looking rather crossed-eyed at this point, and Fishlegs, who pretended he wasn't listening in, but his repeated glances from under the rim of his helmet said otherwise.

Hiccup sighed heavily. "Can we talk about this later?"

"No."

"Astrid, please, I didn't-" Hiccup paused when he swore he saw a faint smile tugging up the corner of the girl's mouth, but it vanished as quickly as he thought it appeared.

"Anyway, did Toothless come back? I realized what a mutton-head I was for leaving him out there, what with this new Night Fury rider and all…" Hiccup gestured with his hands as he spoke, fading out when something continually brushed against his leg.

One glance up at Ruffnut was all it took for the girl to burst out laughing, quickly followed by her brother. Hiccup furrowed his brow and ducked under the table. A familiar pair of green eyes peered back at him, accompanied by a warble.

"Toothless!" He cried out, more in relief than anything, wrapping his arms around the dragon's head and embracing him.

Astrid was laughing again, her shoulders shaking as she snaked one arm around Hiccup's waist as he sat back up. Hiccup was smiling too, but trying to hide it as the twins shouted out;

"Lokied!" And slapped their hands on the table. Fishlegs was giggling in his way, and Snotlout was looking confused, although he laughed along like he got the prank.

"I knew you'd realize what a yak-brain you were being and come back for me." Astrid smiled up at him.

"Ah. Ha ha. Very funny you guys." He said dryly, smiling all the while. His hand found its way to Astrid's shoulder without his knowing. Toothless grunted and tried to push his way out from under the table from where he had been stuffed for Gods knew how long.

His huge clumsy feet got stuck on the bench though, sending Hiccup and Astrid to the floor with a resounding bang from the heavy wooden seat. People turned from all around to see the commotion. Two laughing teens, sprawled on the floor, a chortling Night Fury, and a split bench.

Hiccup got to his feet and helped Astrid up, rubbing the spot where his hip hit the ground. They were all still laughing as they picked up the broken bench and carried it outside, ducking under disapproving stares. Luckily, they were few and far followed them out into the cool night air, a welcome reprieve from the stifling, smoky room.

"What's gotten into you lately?" Hiccup asked Astrid as they made their way to Gobber's forge.

"What do you mean?" She asked with a sweet smile.

"All this laughing, and this prank? Who are you and what have you done with Astrid Hofferson?" He teased.

"Oh! Hiccup! Don't you worry. I could still kill you in 87 different ways."

"I don't doubt it."

"But I wouldn't." She nudged him with the leg on the broken bench.

"Now that, I do doubt."

Astrid feigned a hurt expression and gasped. They walked the rest of the way in comfortable silence.

After setting down the pieces, Hiccup turned to Astrid.

"You and me. Tomorrow."

"Huh?"

"We are going to find this mysterious rider."

**xX Wings That Change Xx**

There was much to think about regarding the event that had transpired a few hours ago on Berk.

Safely back on their remote little sea stack, Ayla lay on the tough grass that grew on top. She had abandoned her clothes and phased almost as soon as they had returned. Being in her human form for too long left her with an itchy, jumpy feeling, no matter how much she wanted to live like humans at times, her soul was that of a Night Fury.

Seabirds squawked as they swooped over head and Ayla longed to join them. But she couldn't. She couldn't because Trev was asleep in the cave below her, and she couldn't go anywhere without Trev.

Their age old frustration wore on Aya when she least expected it and she found herself wishing it away. It was part of the main reason they were in search of another Night Fury, in hopes that it might hold answers to the questions they had carried with them since they could remember.

Why were they like this?

Ayla clawed the grass, tearing it up in chunks and leaving behind four scores in the recently defrosted ground. The dirt smelled richy aromatic in her heightened nostrils and tiny white bugs wriggled through it.

It was approaching dusk, which was when Trev said he would go flying with her. Ayla stood up in one fluid movement, and started pacing the perimeter of the towering rock.

In her mind, a clear image of the strange new Night Fury appeared, forming from shadows cast by trees on a small neighboring island. A spot of sunlight on the deep pines formed his dazzling green eyes, and his claws took shape from dead branches. His mouth opened and closed when the wind rustled a few branches.

Ayla hummed to herself as shook her head, willing away the mirage. She took several more steps as different thoughts filled her mind.

_How are we going to learn to communicate with him? We've never had any success in the past with other types of dragons. _She thought, then drove the negative notions away with another shake of her head, this one so abrupt that her lower set of head frills slapped the sides of her face.

_Night Furies are different. Night Furies are special. _

She looked up to the sky where twinkling stars were exposing themselves with the disappearance of the light blue skies that had been all day. A crescent of the moon was beginning to rise in its slow steady pattern across the sky, sweeping from east to west in its unchanging flight. Ayla stared at it, finally allowing herself to sit calmly for a brief moment.

_I wish I knew that path of my life. Something set and never changing. _The wistful thoughts brought a profound longing and sadness to her bones. Her life had never been of a predictable nature, even when she and Trev had a plan. Things were always changing and they were always moving.

With a rumble deep in her throat, she hopped from the edge on the rocky ledge, letting the wind fill her wings like the sails of a ship. She longed to soar off, over the water and touch the sky alone, but some impossible force kept her bound to Trev. They could never be more than a pawful of body length away for more than a few minutes.

Ayla dropped her right wing and rounded a tight loop back towards the rock before the warm updrafts carried too much farther away.

Landing lightly on the ledge, she growled into the cave to wake the dozing black form. Trev grumbled and lifted the wing which he had draped over himself to block out the light. It was not needed anymore, seeing as the sun had set over the water's edge by this point.

"_You said we'd fly." _Ayla said, freezing just outside the cave.

Trev mumbled something aloud and stood up slowly, stretching each limb separately as Ayla watched, impatiently flicking her tail. He yawned widely and then starting his stretching routine all over again.

Ayla knew he was just doing so to tickle her ears, but she couldn't keep the growl from her throat. Trev smirked at her through his dragonic features and walked over.

"_Where do you wish to go, my Queen?" _He even added a bow.

Ayla narrowed her eyes and stepped off the ledge without answering him. The wind felt wonderful on her scales as she steadily pumped her wings, rising above the sea and the rock formations.

The sheer joy of flight was something unmatched by anything a human could ever experience. Even if they were soaring on a dragons back. There was something so freeing, so exhilarating that could warm Ayla straight to her bones in a matter of seconds aloft, something that she had no other way to reciprocate.

She roared aloud her delight as she made a break for the thin bank of clouds, flying vertically until she reached it, flying through it and sending the mist particles spinning off in every direction, leaving tiny droplets clinging to her black sides.

"_Something must have been really twisting your tail." _Trev remarked as he caught up to her. Ayla ignored him though. Responding to him mid flight took a certain level of concentration and body control that she didn't think she could muster right now. The whole talking inside her head thing came so easily to Trev, but it was a rather tedious process for her.

Pushing that thought aside for the moment, she leveled out her flight path to coast along above the clouds, up where the air was cooler and thinner. Trev let her take the lead, for once, and became like her shadow, gliding along slightly behind and beneath her. It was almost possible to forget that he was there as he ceased talking, but not quite.

Ayla shut her eyes and just relaxed into the air. Flying happened in sort of the same way walking did as a human, although that was far less thrilling. If you took your mind off it, it just sort of happened on its own. Her wings kept her aloft as her mind wandered onto to other things.

The sound of the wind filled her ears for a long time, then she could hear something. Cracking open her eyes, she looked down on a village filled with firelight and humans. Without realizing, she had flown them right back over Berk. She looked down, knowing their scales kept them hidden against the night sky from any eyes looking up for below. Only a very close observer stood a chance of spotting them, even then only by the absence of starlight from behind their shapes. And since they were not doing any short of attacking, no one would have any reason to be watching the skies.

Ayla flew in broad loops above the village, looking down all the while. Trev didn't say anything, but she could feel his presence, ever present and consistent in a way that could be rivaled only by the presence of water in the sea.

Looking down through sharp eyes, Ayla could make out tiny human forms walking down streets paved with stone, and entering houses glowing with light. She imagined them leaving the big house in the center or town, where they all went to eat, and returning home to their mates and sleeping for the night in one of those big wooden frames filled with straw or something soft under the hides of animals for warmth.

Ayla had been part of a village once, and so had Trev for that matter, but they were so small when-

Another abrupt head shake cleared the bad memories as Ayla peeled away from the lighted buildings, taking solace in the dark of the sky. Trev followed as they flew in the direction that the sun set until the lights of the village were no longer visible.

All of the bad thoughts were whisked away when she thought about the discovery they had made that day. The brought a light, playful mood to her bones. Ayla glanced down at Trev. It wasn't possible to see which direction his dark eyes were looking, but that didn't really matter.

He was coasting about a body length below her and a distance behind.

Pulling up quickly and holding herself in place with quick silent movements of her wings, Alya stayed until Trev was directly beneath her, and he hadn't noticed a thing. Folding in her wings, she dropped squarely onto his back and took his neck in her mouth, teeth retracted of course.

Trev bellowed in alarm before he realized it was only Ayla.

"_For what you said to me back in the cave." _She said while Trev was supporting both of their flights, despite their rapid loss of altitude.

Trev growled and flipped himself over, dropping Ayla from his back as soon as she was finished talking to him. She fell away from him with a slight yowl, falling back down for a few moments before she righted herself and threw out her wings.

Trev hovered above her as she stopped short only a few claw lengths above the freezing sea water. There was a gleam in his eyes and he roared to her in challenge and zipped away. His broader wings took him higher faster than Ayla could manage, but her smaller size gave her the advantage of speed over him. They were fairly evenly matched when it came to flying in open air, and with Trev's head start, Ayla really didn't have a chance at catching him.

She thought about how she could manage it as she raced after him, an idea forming in her head. _Two can play at the tail twisting game. _She thought, letting out a shrill shriek, quickly garnering Trev's attention. He looked over his shoulder, his flight slowing slightly with the change of his body position. Ayla kept right on racing towards him, quickly closing the gap between them and brushing her wingtip along his side in triumph, which she called out into the sky before winging in a loop to face him.

"_Not fair!" _He said after her. "_I thought there was something wrong!"_

Ayla just stuck her tongue out at him, to which he responded with a low growl and a menacing narrowing of his eyes. If Ayla hadn't known him for his whole life, she would have thought he was actually going to attack her. He lunged for her through the air, barely missing her tail tip with his open maw as Ayla banked and beat her wings with vigor to evade him.

His bellow was more efficient at conveying his message than any words he would have shared. _I'll get you! _

Ayla didn't risk a glance back as she made a break for higher ground. Or sky. Her bones were soaring higher than her body as she relished in the simple joy of playing chase in the air. It had been too long since their last game had ensued, at least half of a year. They had been so focused on their mission to reach Berk and find the Night Fury before the snow, then they had to sleep through the cold season, and then they were right back at their quest.

But now, things were falling into place and their goal seemed within reach. Only a language barrier away.

Ayla leveled out once more and risked taking a peek to see where her pursuer. To her surprise, and slight fear, Trev was no longer behind her. Nor was he above her or to her left on right.

Realizing her mistake too late, Ayla didn't need to glace down as a swift set of wingbeats could be heard and something gripped onto all four of her paws. With a startled screech that quickly absolved into laughter, Ayla beat her wings against Trev's pull although she knew it was rather useless. He had a larger set of wings and the pull of the Earth on his side.

Looking down into his face, Ayla was surprised by the intensity in his eyes, rather than her own playful demeanor at the moment. He gripped her tighter as she admitted defeat rather than releasing her to continue their game.

Something about the deep look in Trev's eyes held Ayla captive for several long moments. Trev held them both aloft, clutching Ayla to his body with strong paws on hers.

Then some unknown force brought up a tingling in Ayla's nose and she sneezed. A small line of hot blue fire flew from her mouth with the action, hitting Trev in the chest.

He yelped and released her, letting Ayla catch herself and return to his level a few moments later. He was breathing heavily, but Ayla didn't know why.

"_Do I really weigh so much as to make you breath so hard?" _She could resist the tease, letting herself drop as she sent a message to him.

He swooped down to her level as they started towards the cave.

"_Yes." _

Ayla bared her teeth at him in a mock snarl. His eyes held none of their previous intensity now as he glided along beside her, matching her slower pace.

Ayla hummed gently, lost as to what had transpired up in the clouds.

**AN_**

**Wow it has been almost 4 months since I posed on this story. Sorry about that! I am going to start posting the 17 chapters I have written, as well as start writing more. Hopefully. Thanks for anyone who is returning to WTC, happy to see you again. Drop a review and let me know what you think!**

**-Birch66724**


	5. Close Calls

"Where are you going so early?" Hiccup froze in his tracks as he heard his father's deep voice from the kitchen. A small candle on the table provided the only light as the sun had yet to rise, leaving the sky a dusty grey.

"Oh! Good morning Dad." Hiccup spoke without turning around. He cursed himself silently for not seeing the man. It wasn't like he was hard to miss, but Hiccup had been so caught up in the anticipation on his day ahead.

"Son." Stoick spoke only the one word, but it held warning of disappointment behind it.

Hiccup slowly turned and walked around the corner into the kitchen.

"I was just going to go out and uh, get something for Toothless. Freshest catch." He said with a little nervous laugh.

Stoik looked rather unimpressed by his excuse. "We need to talk Hiccup. Have a seat."

Hiccup inwardly groaned as he slid into the elegantly carved wooden chair. "Dad, if this is the same talk about how-"

Stoick interrupted his son quickly. "It isn't." He paused.

Hiccup looked up, hardly believing it. The only thing that Stoick wanted to talk about with him was how he needed to start stepping up to be the best chief he could be.

"I'm, not as, young as I once was." Stoick began slowly. Hiccup listened without interrupting as he continued.

"But that I'm sure you know. I will serve as the Chief of Berk for as long as I am able, and don't get me wrong, that will be for many more years, but I worry son, I really do."

Hiccup looked at the grey hairs streaking through Stoick's beard, the deep carelines etched between his brows and the numerous scars and burns that criss crossed the man's arms and hands. Time and stress had taken their toll on him, but the fighting spirit that made Stoick a great chief never left his eyes.

"When you step up and become Chief, you will need someone at your side."

Hiccup knew where this was going, but he remained quiet, fidgeting with the edge of the table.

"A chief is nothing without a wife at his side to guide and lead him. Ever since Valka…." Stoick slowly shook his head.

"It's been hard." He summed it up. "But for you, you will not need to have it that hard. You will find yourself a good wife. Someone steady and strong and just as willing to devote herself to the village as you need to be. She will also be there to, to, provide the next heir."

Hiccup knew that his cheeks were flushed red.

"Well, then I think you will be rather pleased about the real reason I am going out this early." Hiccup cleared his throat and met his father's eyes.

"Astrid and I are going flying. And I know you said you didn't want me going out with that strange Night Fury rider around, but-"

"No! By all means! Go on now!" Stoick quickly stood. "Don't want to keep the lady waiting." He chuckled and Hiccup swore he looked rather fondly at him. Hiccup smiled awkwardly as he stood too, grabbing up his satchel and sword. It was a rather unconventional sword with a blade of flame rather than one of steel, but it worked for anything that Hiccup needed to use it for.

And son." Stoick called after him as Hiccup pulled open the door. "She's a good one."

Hiccup gave a tight lipped smile and quickly shut the door behind him, letting out a heavy sigh. _Another great conversation with Dad. _He thought scornfully, regaining his composer and making his way around the side of the house to where Toothless slept.

The black dragon was awake and alert, jumping up when he saw Hiccup making his way towards him.

"Hey bud. Ready?" Hiccup scratching Toothless under his chin until he grumbled with the simple pleasure. He waited eagerly while Hiccup fit him with all the necessary straps and things to get him in the air. The tailpiece and rigging had gone through many redesigns and tweaks over the years, but the system Hiccup had now worked wonderfully. It did everything that it needed to, as well as being comfortable for both dragon and rider.

"Looking good!" Hiccup gave Toothless a satisfied pat on the neck as he started down towards Astrid's house. His mind went back to the conversation from a few minutes ago. Thinking about it made his flush all over again. It obviously wasn't something that Stoick had felt very comfortable talking to Hiccup about either, but he still did it.

With a sigh, Hiccup brushed his hands down his flying gear as he rounded the corner to Astrid's house. She was, as she said she would be, waiting and ready. She stood in the predawn light, talking warmly to Stormfly. Hiccup almost could help but stop and watch her for a few seconds as she crooned to her dragon and pet her. Th Nadder was fitted with her saddle and looked freshly groomed, her blue scales sparkling.

Then Toothless broke the moment, rushing past Hiccup to greet the two. Astrid turned around at the sound of the happy warble, smiling as she leaned down to say hello to the Night Fury. Then she stood and said good morning to Hiccup as he approached.

Hiccup could reply as his mind flashed back to what Stoick had said. "_..provide the next heir.."_

"Hiccup, what's wrong?" Astrid asked, setting one hand on Hiccup's shoulder to gain his attention.

"Oh, s'nothing." He mumbled, clearing his throat and shuffling his feet.

Astrid gave his an appraising look. "Spill it Hiccup Haddock. I think I know when something is up with you."

Hiccup rolled his eyes at her but a slight smile came to his mouth. "You know me too well." He tried to brush past her but she only tightened her grip on his shoulder and shot his another look.

"It's just the usual. Another enlightening talk with Dad." He said.

"Oh! Was it; _Son, you need to step up around Berk. _Or how about; "_Son, I really think it's time you take this chief training seriously!" _

There was no way Hiccup could keep a straight face through her impressions.

"No, it was actually something different."

"Really? What this time?"

Hiccup realized his mistake. He should have just said yes and that would have been that. But now, Astrid wasn't going to let up until she knew. And Hiccup did _not _want her to know.

"Uh, we should probably get going." He tried.

"We have all day! And besides, until this fog burns off we won't be able to see a thing."

"An early start never hurt anyone."

"Oh, this will be good." Astrid pulled him over to the bench in front of Stormfly's stable. "You never make this many excuses unless it is something good." She turned her eager blue eyes on him and Hiccup knew he was done. Astrid was like a Terrible Terror on a boar bone. She wasn't going to give this up and they both knew it.

"It's-" Hiccup started closing his eyes and leaned his head back against the wall. "Weird and I really don't want to talk about it." He tried one last time to get out of sharing.

"Hiccup, you tell me everything about your Dad and his Chiefly Ideals for you." She mocked the last part in a deep, funny voice.

"Astrid. He was telling me that I need to find a wife." Hiccup groaned.

To his surprise, Astrid started to laugh. He looked at her with a confused expression.

"Well obviously. Who could expect you to lead the village alone?" She teased him.

Hiccup rolled his eyes again and stood up, relieved that Astrid was, well, laughing. Even if it was at him.

"We should get going."

"Of course, Chief Hiccup." He shook his head as he swung a leg of Toothless.

"That had a nice ring to it. Chief Hiccup." She repeated. "I think I could get used to it."

X*X*X*X*X*

Hiccup huffed his frustration into the wind. An entire morning of searching had turned up nothing. They had searched all of the large islands north of Berk and the scattering of places to the east and then the sea stacks to the west.

With hunger grumbling in his stomach, Hiccup waved Astrid down to a flat topped stack to stop and have something to eat. Toothless landed gently and shook himself. Stormfly touched down a moment later, squawking and flapping as Astrid slid from her tall back with the skill that only comes with doing something hundreds of times.

Hiccup knelt and spread the map on the flat stone. A flurry of charcoal Xs later, only a small grouping of sea stacks in the seas south of Berk remained unchecked. Astrid came to stand over his shoulder.

"Why would anyone want to stay there? There's nothing but bare rock." He sighed, sitting back.

"Maybe they are staying farther out?"

"But…" Hiccup didn't have anything else to say. It seemed Astrid's explanation was the only one that made sense.

"We should still look there." She mused, dropping a small sack with bread and goat cheese into his lap.

"But there is no wood for fires, and no fresh water for miles! I doesn't even seem possible for anyone to make a camp there."

"Well, this girl isn't just anybody."

Hiccup turned to Astrid with a questioning look. She took a bite from her roll and flashed him a grin.

"She's a Night Fury rider, and they are the most stubborn and determined type of people I know."

Hiccup made like he was offended and swung a slow punch at Astrid. She caught his fist and pulled him over. He snatched her bread from her and held it in his mouth as he pinned her loosely to the ground with her hands above her head.

"Hey!" She yelled. "That was mine!"

"Thheen coome geet it!" Hiccup said through his mouthful of bread. Astrid laughed at his distorted speech, reaching up with head head and grabbing the other side of the bread in her mouth, tearing half of it off before absolving in her laughing, rolling her head back and forth on the ground.

Hiccup snorted at how she looked, pinned to the ground, mouthful of bread, laughing hysterically. He was about the laugh too, when he sucked a crumb down the wrong side of his throat.

He leaned back, choking. He grabbed at his throat as Astrid sat up, removing her mouthful and widening her eyes and the sight before her.

"Hiccup?"

Hiccup hacked roughly once, feeling his eyes started to water. He sat, finally able to breathe again, his tongue hanging out of his mouth.

"You okay?" Astrid asked. Hiccup could hear the smirk on her voice.

"Fine." He said. He risked a glance at her. She sat, amusement dancing in her eyes, but she was keeping her mouth firmly clamped shut, despite the edges curling up in her smirk.

Hiccup took a deep breath and rolled his eyes, glaring at Astrid. She just giggled behind her sealed lips.

They finished their meal without anymore incidents, packed up, and set out for the southern sea stacks.

It wasn't until they were back up in the air that Hiccup realized how close their mouths had come together.

**xX Wings That Change Xx**

Ayla was listening to Trev's incesiant grumbling when she spotted two growing shapes on the horizon. With her stupidly weak human eyes, she couldn't make out anything more than that they were steadily growing larger.

She had made Trev go up in the air to practice her maneuvers. She wanted to be prepared for any sort of situation the humans of Berk might throw their way. Ayla hadn't been concerned until Trev admitted that he blasted a hole clean through the hull of the fishing vessel when he had abducted the Berkian man. Who knew what they would do to people who damaged their property?

"_I don't see what they point of this is. It's not like they could hurt you with me around-"_

"Hush! Look out there." Ayla pointed towards the shapes she had been watching for several moments now.

Trev turned his head and looked.

"They are coming closer to us."

"_It's the Night Fury!" _Trev said, dropping to the top of the nearest sea stack.

"What's the other one?!" Ayla yelled over the rushing wind. Trev's quick descent had almost sent her right off his back.

"_A Nadder."_

"What would a Night Fury be doing with a Nadder?" Ayla asked, sliding from Trev back.

"_They both have riders."_

Ayla's bones felt chilled in that moment. She didn't know if she was ready to meet any other humans. It had been years since she had spoken to one directly, and that was…

"Why did you land? We need to get out of here." Ayla hissed, moving to remount Trev. He blocked her with a wing.

"_I thought this was what you wanted?" _His confusion was evident from his cocked head and tilted frills.

"I do. But…" Ayla didn't know how to explain this. She cast a nervous glance at the sky. The shapes were getting close. Close enough that they would see them take off.

"On my own terms." She said quickly with a pleading look at Trev. He grumbled, but turned and lowered his shoulder a few seconds later.

Ayla could see the two shapes, now clearly visible to the naked human eye, following in the general direction the Trev swooped. His broad black wings filled with the cool sea breeze and easily carried the two of them without his need to flap. Ayla knew he didn't appreciate it when she told him what to do, so she kept her mouth shut as he wove his way around the rocky outcroppings, heading away from their cave.

Their pursuers stayed about the sea stacks scanning from higher in the air. Ayla figured it would be unlikely that they would be spotted, given that the descending sun was casting deep shadows on the playfully jumping waves.

She had her leather helmet in place, so her peripheral vision wasn't the best as she tried to keep an eye on the Nadder and the Night Fury. They were quickly hidden from view as Trev continue to some unbenounced destination.

After several minutes of flight, Ayla could feel Trev ascent. He alighted on a small ledge that was on the side of a steep rock wall on a large island farther to the sun rise direction than their cave. It wasn't a place that Ayla was familiar with, so that, by default, made it a place that Trev was unfamiliar with too.

Ayle pulled her helmet off to improve her vision. A piece of hair was pulled unceremoniously from its braid in the process. She frowned at it, tucking the strand behind her ear before surveying the cerulean landscape laid before them, the only disturbance the slight line where one plane met the other. A slightly paler area when the vast sea met the vast sky.

"Did you lose them?" Ayla asked, not turning to Trev as she spoke.

"_Do you even need to ask?" _He dismissed the question with his mock-haughty reply. Ayla gave him a look. He didn't react, instead turning on the ledge, quite a feat for his stature. He walked up the slight gravely incline, small rocks and bits of sand were cast over the edge from his massive paws.

Ayla follow his swaying tail, still scanning the sky. Although she couldn't see any shapes, she remained wary. She ran her fingertips along the rough stone. It was a light tan color and left a powdery sandy residue on her fingers.

"_Here." _Trev said a single word and disappeared into a crack in the wall.

Ayla jogged a few steps to catch up to him, peering through the large cleft into a damp looking cavern. It was shadowy, hardly any light penetrated the darkness due to the angle at which the crack was positioned relative to the sun. The water dripped down the walls with a resounding, repetitive sound, collecting in pools on the welled stone floor.

Trev's dark shape disappeared nearly completely into the blackness. After he squeezed through the narrow opening that is.

"Surprised you fit in here." Ayla remarked, lingering partly outside.

Trev huffed from somewhere inside.

A squawk from outside drew Ayla's attention before she was completely lost in thought, as she was often prone to do. She looked up as saw the shapes of two dragons. She drew a quick breath and let herself become enveloped by the deep shadows and the rich, earthy scent the cave held.

"_Is that them?" _Trev asked with a thrum, walking up beside Ayla and bumping her with his nose, letting her know where he was.

"Yes."

"_Did they see you?"_

"I don't know Trev. Why don't you go ask them?" She sarcastically said. He growled and pushed her. Ayla glared at him. But it was all in good fun. They frequently argued like this.

"_Maybe you should." _Trev said darkly, continuing to shove Ayla towards the opening when the light was trickling in. She leaned back into his broad head, digging her heels into the ground, They found no purchase on the wet stone though. Farther and farther Trev shoved her, until the yellow light shone on her tattered old boots.

"Quit it!" She hissed through gritted teeth.

"Did you hear that?" A female voice called from nearby. Too nearby.

Trev snatched Ayla by the back of her tunic, wrapping her up in his wings as he quietly crept further back into the crevice. Ayla fumbled around, trying to get into a position where she could breathe and hear.

"From that cave?" A male voice answered her.

"I think so. Stormfly is too big to land. You'll have to check it out." She answer him. Ayla could barely make out two sets of wingbeats. One receded and one stopped. Something metal jingled and something stepped on the gravely ledge.

"Easy bud." The male said. Then the unmistakable thrill of a Night Fury sounded. Ayla's breath caught in her throat and she could feel Trev rumble in a silent growl. The human footsteps that approached didn't sound like anything that Ayla would have thought. It alternated between a regular sounding steps, to something metallic and harsh against the stone.

The sound drew nearer and nearer and Trev coiled up, preparing to strike at any moment. Ayla ran a soothing hand over his scales, but it did little to calm him.

"The Gods hate me." The voice was very nearby. Something was shaking around, then it was hit on the side of the stone wall. The Night Fury was crooning gently and Ayla imagined him sniffing the air.

"I don't think that that dragon could have even fit in here, bud. You almost don't." A small chuckle accompanied the comment. Time seemed to freeze as Ayla could almost feel herself break into a cold sweat. What would this person do to them if he found them right now? Why was he even looking for them?

"No. We'll come back sometime and explore this cave. But not right now. We don't have any light." The Night Fury grumbled and the male muttered something else. Something rubbed together and something metal clicked, then a strong beat of wings carried them both away.

For several long moments, Trev remained tense, clutching Ayla in the darkness. She heard the two humans call out to each other, and then they both presumably flew away.

Trev released Ayla and she ran to the opening and saw the two receding shapes, heading in the direction of Berk. She felt a strange mixture of relief and disappointment. She wanted to meet them, she truly did, but she was so, so afraid. Perhaps it would have been better to just force the meeting, so that she would have no chance to flee. If left to her own decisions, Ayla doubted her ability to bring the meeting about herself.

"_Let's go." _Trev hummed from behind her, sitting rather impatiently as Ayla stared wistfully after the two strange riders. She sighed and allowed Trev to carry her back to their cave. She needed time to think about what she was really after.

**AN_**

**Thanks for reading! I love hearing your guys' feedback, feel free to leave comments or criticism!**

**-Birch66724**


	6. Discoveries

Hiccup was again searching for signs of the strange rider. He stood in the clearing where he had been convinced they were the day Toothless led him there. It seemed the only explanation as to the Night Fury's actions and behavior. He thought that maybe he could find some sort of sign or clue, but so far, nothing had turned up.

After returning from the search with Astrid in the late afternoon, he left her, Stormfly and Toothless to rest down at the Great Hall. Hiccup himself had been feeling too jumpy and restless to sit and listen to tales being told by an elderly couple that managed to survive on Berk their whole lives, despite the war raging on against dragons.

Hiccup and Astrid had seen the Night Fury when they were out, which was why he was feeling this way. It had been coasting on thermals when it presumably spotted them and zipped away, hiding in the spires of rock. He was so close to discovering the secrets of the rider and the new dragon, but they didn't seem to want to be found.

Astrid had said, "_If they want to meet us, they will."_

Hiccup didn't like her statement, but he knew it was true and resigned back to Berk. Both of the dragons were tired after flying all around the Archipelago, and Astrid had admitted she hadn't slept well the night before. Something about her neighbor's Gronkle or something. Hiccup hadn't really been listening, and for that he felt badly.

So, back home they flew. He wasn't satisfied though, which was why he was in the woods now, pawing through ferns and scouring the ground. He worked his jaw in the way he always did when something interesting was right on the verge of happening and his finger found the thin scar on his chin as he stood straight up and pondered the situation. It was a faint, yet very much still there mark of unknown origins. He always found an odd sort of solace when running the pad of his finger along it.

He watched tiny vibrant green new leaves quiver in the slight breeze and the dimming light. He knew he should head back to the village before night fell, but he resisted the idea. There was something so enticing about the little clearing, with the patch of bare dirt in the center, dry and hard despite the damp weather as of late, and the little berry bush on the edge and the tall pines that give shade to the space. It was a solid 15 minute walk from the edge of the village at a decent pace, which lent it free of any of the bustle that came from the Berkian people or resident dragons.

Hiccup walked back to his things, which he had unceremoniously dumped at the base of a thick trunked pine upon reaching the spot. He gathered up the loose pieces of parchment with bits of maps scrawled on them, a small candle, and an even smaller dagger and various charcoal pencils, He had finished off the food earlier and could feel his stomach grumbling with complaints of his hunger.

Lastly, he picked up the leather bound journal, which was open to the page with the sketch from the previous night, He couldn't count how many times he had looked at it over the last day, although he didn't show it to Astrid. He held it in front of him as he glanced back up at the clearing, picturing the enormous Night Fury and the mystery rider there, looking at Toothless. It seemed hardly big enough to hold all of them. He looked up and down from the fraying paper, which was tearing slightly from the sheaf, almost able to see the shapes of the two black dragons from the growing shadows.

_Great, now I'm seeing things. _He thought dryly, sighing as he swung the pack over his shoulder and turned towards Berk. He didn't notice in the dim light as the page caught on the tangle of bryer as he ducked under it, ripping from the journal and fluttering to the ground. He closed the journal and tucked it under his arm, walking through the brush without a backwards glance.

X*X*X*X*X*

"What I wanna know Chief, is what's going to be done about my ship!"

Hiccup winced as he scooped stew into his mouth. He had returned to the Great Hall to have some supper, and now the assembled people were getting rowdy, as per usual. Stoick had just walked into the building as the conversation had been building about what was to be done about this new rider.

"Relax Asmund! We'll get the ship fixed right up. Gobber will see to it." Stoick strood across the room as he spoke, Gobber following behind him. He waved his hook hand at Asmund in a dismissive gesture, taking a seat near Stoik at the Chief's table.

"Better be fixed up." Asmund grumbled. "These beasts eat more than my late wife." Asmund was the man who worked with Fenrig. Hiccup was just now remembering the man's name when he couldn't think of it during the debacle in the town's square a few days before.

Several more questions were called out from across the room, many in regards to the Night Fury rider. Hiccup listened intently to everyone, absently still eating from his bowl of stew.

"We should capture it!"

"Hold it prisoner and make 'er fix the boat up itself!"

"I never thought there was another Night Fury!"

Astrid tore off a piece of bread and dipped it into Hiccup's bowl. He ignored her obvious attempt to provoke him into conversation, but he was too intently focused on the questions bouncing throughout the room. Not even the twins arguing about which one would ride the new Night Fury once they killed its rider could get him to speak up.

Hiccup heard Astrid start to say something, but Stoick slammed his hammer down on the table with a mighty boom, effectively silencing the crowd. Hiccup knew that the table bore various dents of the same nature, for the same reason.

"Quiet now!" Stoick spoke loudly to everyone. There was a slight din as people shifted to face him better or set down their mugs of mead to listen.

"I know that everyone is worried about this new-"

"We ain't worried!" A man interrupted with a throaty yell.

"Yeah! Think we can't handle one Night Fury?" Several voices join in agreement.

Stoick scowled at the unruly crowd. His eyes narrowed and his mouth drew up into a faint pucker, pulling in the edges of his thick beard closer to his lips.

"Enough!" He put a stop to the chatter. "Perhaps worry wasn't the correct word." he said with a pointed look at the man who started the outbreak. Hiccup couldn't see who it was.

"But, I know it had been on everyone's minds. We have no reason to do anything about the situation right now but keep an eye out. We have not spotted this Night Fury or its rider on or near Berk, and until we do, no further action is to be taken."

Several times during his words he held up a hand to stop a comment before it left the mouth, speaking in a hard voice to maintain his control over the room.

"Furthermore, if you do happen to see this rider, you are not to approach them or confront them. Report back to me and we will take action as I see fit."

Fenrig raised his arm from across the room.

"Yes, Fenrig?"

"She. The rider was a girl. She had-"

"Yes, alright. Thank you." Stoick cut the man off before he could launch into another one of his long stories. "So, do not approach _her." _

"What if she's on our property?"

"Then I suppose you should take action as you see fit. But do not kill her, Or the dragon! We can question her and ask what business she has starting up trouble on Berk."

"Aye, I'll take action as I see fit." Someone snickered, followed by several more people.

Astrid huffed in disgust, glaring in the direction of the comment, then at Snotlout when he too started to chuckle. She shut him up real quick and that left Hiccup with a smirk.

"Alright. That is all." Stoick dipped his head to the crowd and retreated back to his chair as Gobber handed him a mug.

"Well, there's that." Hiccup muttered.

"I think that was good." Astrid said.

"We just have to find her before someone else does. Find out what she wants then send her on her way."

Astrid didn't reply.

"You know these people Astrid. They need something to hunt and kill, and one damaged ship is a good enough reason." Hiccup spoke rather darkly. Ever since the taming of the dragons, it was evident that most of the men were restless, now not having the dragons to take out their anger and fighting spirit on.

"I suppose." Astrid reluctantly agreed.

Life went on in the Great Hall as Hiccup headed home after a goodbye to Astrid and his other friends. He slept rather well all things considered and woke early the next morning, ready to start the search again at the Southern Sea Stacks.

Only, Toothless was nowhere to be found.

Hiccup walked the entire village, looking behind houses and on roofs. He gained several looks and shrugs from rather unhelpful village members as the morning wore on with no sign of the black dragon. The fog burned off the shoreline and a cloudy sky was backlit by the sun before Hiccup slumped defeatedly inside of Astrid's office.

She gave him a rather smug look as she leaned back in the old wooden chair, fiddling with the feathers on the back of an arrow.

"I've looked everywhere. This isn't like him." Hiccup moaned.

"Hmm. Maybe this does have something to do with the new arrivals."

"Arrivals? They are here?"

"No!" Astrid shook her head and raised her brows. "Maybe Toothless is just making himself some new friends."

"But what if they aren't friends?" Hiccup started to pace in the small space, only able to take three steps in each direction before meeting a wall.

"Oh, is someone worried about his dragon?" Astrid teased, clearly amused.

"Yes! And it's not funny!" Hiccup said. "He, he can't fly! What if something goes wrong? And he can't get away because I shot his tail off!"

"Okay okay. So you're asking me…"

Hiccup gave Astrid a look that read, _Seriously?_

She only laughed. "C'mon."

A few minutes later they were airborne, gliding towards the sea stacks atop Stormfly, on the lookout.

**xX Wings That Change Xx**

"_Wake up." _The thought penetrated Ayla's warm cocoon. She grumbled and scrunched her paws up tighter to her chest and stomach. She was so warm beneath Trev's wing, so comfortable on the flamed stone floor, and still half asleep.

"_Wake up!" _Trev spoke more forcibly, yanking his wing from over Ayla's back, letting the cold morning air descend upon her scales. She snarled without malice and blinked her eyes open.

To darkness.

Her eyes adjusted a few seconds later, making out Trev's sleek frame in the shadows of the cave. He sat erect, his tail twitching ever so gently as he observed Ayla rousing herself.

She parted her jaws in a wide, gummy yawn, then took a deep breath to fill her lungs full with the cold, but refreshing air. She sat up, ruffling her wings before folding them neatly along her sides.

"_Welcome awake, log head."_

"_Log head? You're a rock head." _Ayla retorted, freezing in a glare at Trev.

He just stuck his tongue out and shook his head, sending his frills slapping against the sides of his face with loud whacks.

Ayla chuffed and took a few slow steps to the bag she packed the previous night, when they had arranged the plans. It contained her only belongings; a change of clothes and her dagger. She struggled to slide her head through the bag's strap, twisting it every which way to no avail. All this was much to Trev's amusement. Ayla could hear him quietly chortling.

"_Help!" _She requested abruptly. In the time it took her to pause and day that single word, the strap completely slipped from her head and landed on the floor, putting her right back in square one.

Trev did come to her aid, as he always did, but not without his mocking grin. Ayla glared at him and let her frills fall flat to portray her displeasure. Trev paid no heed as he deftly slid the bag over her head, twisting it so the bulk lay comfortably on the back of her neck, where it would be supported during the flight and not daggle irritatingly in front.

"_Let's go." _ He said, whapping her with his tail as he leapt from the edge. Ayla grumbled something after him and followed, whipping her wings out into the dark sky. Clouds covered the stars and moon and the soon to be rising sun.

Ayla took a deep breath of the air, but it did not smell heavy with rain. It was simply an overcast sky.

The flight was uneventful. Trev coasted lightly, Ayla following slightly behind him, gliding on the draft that rolled off his wing tips so she rarely had to flap. Ayla sniffed the air, relishing in her heightened senses. Her stomach was grumbling the whole way, so when they reached Berk's woods, she was on high alert for any prey.

Ayla wasn't much a fan of hunting, usually leaving the task up to Trev. Something about taking a life to feed a body she didn't feel at home in. It felt wasteful to kill something large enough to feed a Night Fury when she could just eat a single fish as a human and feel satisfied. But fresh raw meat held a certain appeal that simply could not be appreciated by a human's tongue.

She scanned the underbrush, flying lower to the treetops for a better sightline. The breeze ruffled her wings, gently rocking her frame from side to side as her grey eyes flashed over a familiar shape.

A dark pelted deer, laying part way under a bush. It was a female, without horns, but it was awake and scanning around. But from the ground, it never expected an aerial attack.

Ayla could feel her heart beat increase as her eyes dilated on the prey animal. No matter how much she pushed down her animal instincts in daily life, there was something about a hunt that brought them right up to the surface. They bubbled in Ayla's bones as she tucked her wings, laying her dorsal fins flat to avoid the Night Fury whistle, and dove.

One clumsy rear foot whacked into a branch in the dim morning, alerting the deer of its impending doom. It jumped to its feet, but Ayla was upon it. The bag slid from around her neck though, and as the doe bunched her hind legs to bound away into the forest, its head slipped into the loose loop of fabric. It stumbled silently as Ayla fell on top of it with a sickening crack. One on its legs must have snapped when her weight pressed it into the ground, Ayla realized with an unmasked grimace.

Ayla snapped at the fumbling deer, fitting her jaws around its neck until she was at a good angle and bit down, cleanly breaking its neck and ending the suffering it must be under by this point. The snap of the vertebrae in her mouth filled her with an intense feeling that she had no words to describe. It was similar to the one attained when soaring high above the clouds, then diving down far and fast, only to whip open her wings and let her paws dip into the water and send up a spray. A feeling of power and strength. Raw animal strength that felt good as it soaked deep into her bones. She knew it made her eyes gleam and her breath come in short deep pants.

"_Good. I was hungry." _Trev alighted beside her, awkwardly in the thick ferns that surrounded her.

Ayla heard herself snarl at Trev as he advanced towards her kill. The noise surprised her as much as it did Trev. He stopped short, eyes wide and mouth agape. Ayla had stepped in front of the still warm prey, as if Trev was a threat it needed protecting from.

"_Uh, I, don't need to have any…" _Trev's uncertain tone was one that rarely made an appearance in Ayla's head. That clicked something back into place.

"_I'm sorry. Something just… came over me there." _Ayla paused to tell Trev, then aggressively shook her head. Blood flecked off her muzzle and splattered on the scales between Trev's eyes.

He looked amused as he took a few tentative steps forward. Ayla lowered one deft claw to the kill, slicing down from its chest through its stomach, letting the innards and blood spill onto the damp ground. She lapped at the hot scarlet liquid, sighing as it coated her tongue. Then she realized what she had done and snapped upright, suddenly horrified and disgusted with herself.

Trev made a questioning noise, but Ayla didn't turn to face him. Her eyes fixed on a distant curl of smoke. The only sign of humans to be seen. The tug between that world and the one that lay at her paws were at war in her head. There was something so easy about falling into the pattern of life as a dragon. It had simple pleasures that were so warming, so natural and so comfortable. But life as a human held certain allures that called to Ayla on an entirely different level. She longed to interact with other people besides Trev. She wanted friends and the small by comparison life that a village promised. It was something that she had never experienced, but wanted to so badly it made her chest ache.

"_I can't." _She whispered to Trev and stumbled over her own bloody paws in her haste to get away from the carcass. He didn't say anything as she feverishly wiped her claws and face on the ground, trying to rid herself of the blood's crimson stain. She couldn't bear to lick at, for fear that the metallic tang would send her back to the kill like a frenzied animal. The very thing she swore not to be.

Several minutes passed with the only sound being Ayla fumbling about in the brush and her heavy breaths. The sun rose higher and the deer grew cool and stiff. Trev sat patiently, watching and waiting.

Finally, Ayla stood still, satisfied that her black scales were rid of the blood and her mind was back under her control. She looked into Trev's baleful brown eyes. They held a slight compassion, although they lacked understanding. Trev didn't feel the same way as Ayla. In fact, he felt exactly the opposite. He wanted to live only as a Night Fury. He was not a fan of the human lifestyle or even the humans themselves. He only put up with them for Ayla's sake, allowing her to drag him from settlement to village to town so she could perch in a tree and watch them, learn their language and how they acted.

Ayla nodded towards the deer, although she didn't look at it. Trev dipped his head to her and started to eat. Despite the growl in her stomach, Ayla couldn't bare to eat anything, Instead, she picked up her satchel from where it had fallen and pushed a little way into the brush to shift and put on her human clothes.

Trev granted her that at least, letting her change and put on her clothes like a cloak to hide her true identity. Not that it was a lie exactly, but more like withholding the truth. No one could tell what she was when she dressed in the blue tunic and leggings and the fox hide vest. Ayla ran her fingers through her hair before swiftly braiding it into two thick braids that hung over the fronts of her shoulders.

Trev's bloodied face poked from behind a bramble and Ayla felt her stomach turn.

"Clean you face!" She hissed, turning away from him.

He grumbled but obliged.

They walked through the thick brush to reach the clearing where they had met the Night Fury the first time. Well, Trev had met it as Ayla sat high up in a tree. The sun rose to paint the sky into a rosy grey behind them. Ayla was quiet, lost in her own thoughts. There were times, although few and far between, that made her question what she really wanted.

Upon reaching the clearing, it was empty. Ayla hadn't expected anything else, but it still felt like a letdown. Part of her wanted there to be the human boy and the human girl, sitting there waiting for them.

"_I smell human here." _Trev said cooly.

"They were here right when we left. You knew that." Ayla said, a slight edge to her voice.

"_More recently." _Trev said with an obvious effort to keep his voice neutral. He absolutely hated when Ayla took a tone with him. She didn't know why, but it was a tactic she used when she was really mad at him, to further irritate him. She wasn't mad at him now though, so she wasn't quite sure why she said it that way.

Alya narrowed her eyes as she looked around and Trev took deep whiffs of the air. His senses were much better than hers, so she believed him. Besides, he had no reason to lie.

"_Last night I think." _Trev concluded after thoroughly checking over an area in front of a large tree, where the roots rose above the soil at the hollow was filled with dead pine needles. It looked like a comfortable place to sit.

"Hmm." Ayla made an absent sound, spotting an out of place color at the edge of the clearing. She walked towards it, where the yellowy white smooth texture stood from the vibrant new green.

Reaching out to grab it, Ayla realized it was…. She couldn't remember the name of it. The thing that they wrote on, made from tree bark and they wrote with the ash left over after a fire. A blank side looked up at her, stark against the natural colors of the clearing.

Flipping it over, it took awhile before Ayla realized what it was. It was upside down for one, so after she turned it, it became a clear image. A clear image of a Night Fury and a girl. A human girl. The dragon stood beside the girl, an imposing figure beside the much smaller person. It had comically long claws, huge wings, and an unmistakable scar. Although it was over the wrong eye, it was undoubtedly Trev. Someone must have seen him.

Speaking of him, he appeared, hovering over Ayla's shoulder, looking at the picture with scrutinizing eyes. Ayla felt her heart pound harder as she thought about when someone would have been this close to Trev to see his scar. And then she looked at the portrayal of herself. The figure was shorter than her, at least in comparison to the Night Fury. It also had its hair drawn in a single braid down its back, unlike how Ayla wore hers. Perhaps the person didn't see her as well.

"_How could a dragon even walk with that long of claws?" _Trev said critically, huffing in slight amusement. Ayla on the other hand, was less amused.

"Trev! Look at this!" She practically shouted, turning to the dragon beside her.

"_I see it." _

Ayla scoffed in her irritation. "This is us! Someone saw us! They know what we look like!"

"_Not really."_

"What?"

"_That doesn't really look like either of us." _Trev said, cocking his head and looking intently at the picture. He sniffed it then. "_It was left by whoever was here."_

"It doesn't matter that it isn't exact! How mistakable is a Night Fury and a rider?"

Trev hummed, conceding to her point but clearly still unbothered.

Ayla took deep deep breath and held it, letting her cheeks puff out.

"_Not a big deal Ayla. Not like they didn't already know about us. Forget about that boat already?"_

"No. It's just that-" Ayla paused, not really sure what she was trying to say. "Someone is interested enough in us to draw a picture of us!"

Trev swiped a tongue around his muzzle. Ayla looked at him before dropping her hand clutching the picture to her side with a thump.

Trev always was the more levelheaded of the two.

**AN_**

**Thanks you so much for reading! I warms my heart to know that people are enjoying my story. From here on out, there will likely be weekly updates, primarily on Saturday.**

**Please leave a review and I'll get back to you. :)**

**-Birch66724**


	7. Near

"I don't think he's out here." Astrid called over the wind. Hiccup dejectedly sighed. They had flown over the whole of Berk without spotting the Night Fury. Then, out towards the Southern Sea stacks where they had seen the rider. They didn't see her either.

Stormfly was growing tired, lazily spinning circles about the rock formations as Hiccup and Astrid's eyes grazed over the grassy tops and stone alcoves. Hiccup spotted something then. It almost looked like a cave. He briefly wondered if it was the same one that he had looked in the previous day and couldn't quite remember. He pointed to it and Astrid directed her Nadder.

Hiccup immediately realized that it was not the same cave. This one was made from a deep colored rock, not the sandstone that the other cave had been made of. Stormfly lowered her shoulder and allowed her passengers to dismount. Then she chirped and shook herself, walking towards the entrance to the cave, her nose twitching quickly.

Upon entering the mouth of the cave, she shrieked and her spines went up. Stormfly swung her tail around as if to hurl spikes into the crevice.

"Woah! Stormfly!" Astrid called out, rushing to calm her dragon.

"Astrid!" Hiccup yelled after her, not knowing if she was running into a dangerous situation. Astrid reached the Deadly Nadder and reached up to stroke her chin, but Stormfly didn't calm down until she pushed her way into the cave and had done a through examination of the space. It was empty. Mostly.

Hiccup stood outside as he watched the dragon sniff around and hiss in distaste. He noticed a pile of ashes near the entrance of the cave. He crouched down and drew a finger through them, but they were long cold. In fact, the fire area was so long disused that it didn't have a lingering smell of smoke.

Hiccup stood and wiped his sooty finger on his pants as Stormfly gave the space one last huff before stepping outside and waiting obediently for Astrid. The blond haired girl walked back to Hiccup with a shrug. She didn't know what had gotten Stormfly all riled up.

There was something else near the rear of the cave. Something that made a dark lump against the stone floor.

"What's that?" He asked, curious.

"I don't know." Astrid warily replied. Together, they walked towards it. Hiccup pulled out his sword and set it aflame, lighting the dark corners of the cave. It was quite a large space, with a tall ceiling and a rather even floor.

The firelight fell onto what looked like a pile of clothes. Astrid nudged them with the toe of her boot, determining that nothing was hiding in them before picking an article of cloth up.

She unfolded a dark colored man's tunic. Below in was a pair or trousers and a set of hide boots. Hiccup picked up one of the boots.

"Who would leave these here?" Hiccup asked.

"I don't know. I don't know how anyone would even get up here."

"Unless they had a dragon." Hiccup said. He shared a look with Astrid then. She seemed to sense his suggestion without him needing to say it aloud.

"Why would she have a man's clothes?"

"Couldn't tell you, but it makes sense!" Hiccup was talking quickly as his excitement grew. "That's why Stormfly was upset, she smelled a strange Night Fury, and this is where we saw them last!"

"But Hiccup. Those ashes are long cold. And-" She thrust the large tunic towards him.

Hiccup shook his head with viger. "There's no wood out here to start a fire anyway, and now that it's warmed, she wouldn't need to."

Astrid still looked uncertain, but Hiccup dropped the boot and continued to search around the cave. On the opposite wall, where the flattest, smoothest rock was, he made another discovery that proved his theory in his mind.

Etched into the dark stone were even darker marks, places where a hot stream of fire had been blasted into the ground to heat up the rock. It looked identical to the ones Toothless made on the stone outside of Hiccup's house. They were undoubtedly made by a Night Fury.

"Maybe we should just wait here for them to come back?" Hiccup asked after he had convinced Astrid with the prove of the scorch marks.

"But where are they? Maybe they could be going to Berk now?"

Hiccup felt a chill pass over him as he thought the idea over. It seemed entirely plausible. Wild scenarios raced through his mind. Maybe they had done something with Toothless, knowing he would come looking. Distracting him away so they could attack the village? Maybe they were on their way back here now to kill them? Maybe they had already killed Toothless?

"We need to go find Toothless." Hiccup said quickly, retracting his sword and turning back the Nadder who was waiting for them.

Astrid caught his hand as Hiccup walked away. He paused and looked back at her, worried lines marking his forehead. Astrid pulled him until he was facing her.

"It'll be okay. We'll find him." Astrid gave him a small smile and a quick kiss. It momentarily distracted Hiccup and was more than enough to make him blush.

"Thanks." He whispered, helping Astrid onto Stormfly's back, despite the fact that she was more than capable of doing it herself.

"Anytime."

**xX Wings That Change Xx**

Ayla sat on Trev's shoulders as he walked through the brush. His steady rocking steps were relaxing. Her legs dangled down on top of his as they approached the village. Trev had insisted that she stay perched atop him, for fear that strange dragons wouldn't react well to a strange human. Ayla didn't share the fear, but was humoring Trev.

Ayla was ducking under a branch when she spotted him. The Night Fury stood serval body lengths ahead, scenting the air as if looking for something. Or someone. His pure black scales were matte in the dim morning, but his eyes shone, soaring from his face as if lit from behind.

"There he is." Ayla whispered to Trev.

She apparently hadn't whispered quietly enough though. The Night Fury's eyes snapped towards them and he warbled. Then his eyes fixed skeptically on Ayla.

"_Hold on." _Trev warned. He turned and leapt back in the direction they had come, crashing through the woods without abandon. Ayla know he was trying to lead the new dragon back to the clearing, as was their plan, but she didn't know why he had to do it in such an intense manner.

She yelped as she almost slid from Trev's shoulders when he cleared a fallen log. Glancing backwards, she could see a set of bright green eyes following after them, looking curious and intent. Ayla clutched Trev's neck as he careened through the berry bushes lining the clearing.

He spun around and Ayla slid from his back, keeping one hand on his side as he swept his tail protectively around her ankles, flaring his wings in warning and slightly drawing back a lip.

"Be nice." Ayla harshly whispered. Her heart was racing was the Night Fury followed them into the space, much slower. He looked cautiously from Trev to Ayla. After standing stark still for several moments, he settled down on his haunches, ear frills flicking intently. Trev licked his lips before drawing them closed. He folded his wings slightly, but didn't move away from Ayla at all.

The Night Fury trilled questioningly. It wasn't a sound that Ayla had heard before. It was followed by a series of small growls and grunts, intermittent with small pauses and various ear positions. It was all directed at Trev. After he was done, he looked back and forth from Ayla again, appearing excited with wide eyes and hopeful expression.

"He's trying to talk to you!" Ayla whispered excitedly. Trev didn't respond, only watched and the Night Fury turned its full attention to Ayla at the sound of her voice. He slowly stood up and paced towards her, softly grumbling as he approached.

Trev bared his teeth when he came within one wing's length. His message was clear. The Night Fury stopped respectfully, but he didn't back up, instead sitting back down. Trev draped a wing of Ayla, partially hiding her from view.

Ayla felt slight irritation at Trev's protectiveness. It wasn't as if she couldn't defend herself at all! She wanted to meet this dragon, to interact with him and see what he had to say.

Making up her mind, she stepped over Trev's tail and ducked under his wing, walking out towards the Night Fury. She closed the distance between them in a few short strides.

"_Ayla!" _Trev was yelling at her all the while.

"Hello." She spoke to the dragon, ignoring Trev. He warbled and sniffed at her. Ayla held out her hand, which he pressed his nose into after a brief moment of hesitation. He slightly closed his eyes with a purr, but then they snapped wide open, his pupils dilating. Ayla gasped, unable to make any other sound as his piercing eyes bore into her, seemingly looking straight down to her bones.

Then he jumped to his feet with a loud roar and circled around Ayla, sniffing her up and down. Trev did not seem happy about that. He leapt to his paws and charged the strange Night Fury, teeth bared and claws ready to strike.

In that moment Ayla knew. This Night Fury knew the truth. He could tell. He knew what she was.

Trev stepped over Ayla and snarled. The Night Fury respectfully took a few steps back, but his bright eyes never left Ayla. His voice never changed from a hopeful murmur.

"Stop Trev!" Ayla called then, shoving against him, even though she knew it wouldn't do anything. He didn't move from her. Ayla ducked under his front leg and ran out towards the Night Fury. Trev swiped at her with a paw, as if to scoop her back to his chest, but Ayla was out of range by the time he could have reached her.

"He's nice. _Friendly." _She emphasized the word, stopping just short of the dragon, who peered back at her with unmasked enthusiasm.

"_There why don't you learn to talk to him?" _Trev's voice was dripping with a snarl. Ayla whirled around to face him.

"What's your problem?"

"_What's yours! Why are we doing this? It's stupid! There is no changing what we are Ayla!"_

Ayla's reply dried up in her throat like a puddle under the summer sun. The cold harshness of Trev words shot ice into her bones. She had _never _heard him outrightly say that he didn't believe in this plan. Or at least the hope that the plan offered. The hope of separation. The hope of not having to spend every moment together.

"I sure hope it works, because I don't think it could stand spending the rest of my life with you." Ayla said, rather quietly despite the weight of the words. More of a statement of fact than an insult to wound Trev.

He stared back at Ayla with unblinking brown eyes. She knew she'd just said the one thing she could have to hurt him. They were words never spoken by either of them and as soon as Ayal saw Trev's reaction, she felt racked with guilt. She wanted to apologize and run over to hug him and take it all back. But she didn't. She couldn't. She couldn't because it was the truth. Not the part about Trev specifically, but more about what he wanted. Ayla didn't think she could stand to live like he wanted. Silent. Hidden. Alone.

The breath of the Night Fury on Ayla's shoulder brought her back to the present. He held the hope of her future. He held the promise of the life she always wanted.

She turned her back on Trev and looked into the green eyes of the new dragon. The green promised change, like spring. Like leaves pushing their way back to life after an entire winter, no matter how much snow came down or how fiercely the wind blew, they always came back.

"I'm going to change now. And I don't want you to freak out, okay?" Ayla spoke to them, her voice wavy with the threat of barely held back tears. He tilted his head and purred.

Ayla slowly stripped off her clothes without breaking eye contact with the dragon. This wasn't the plan. Ayla wasn't supposed to change. She wasn't supposed to change ever again. This dragon shouldn't know her as both human and Night Fury.

So there Ayla stood, naked in the middle of the forest, two Night Furies looking at her. One with a gaze filled with hurt and disbelief, and the other filled with quiet confusion and anticipation.

Something held Ayla back from reaching out to Trev to ask him to let her change. Something held her frozen in place, even after the still cold spring air made her thin human skin shiver and small bumps raise up on her arms and legs. Something about this was wrong.

She heard shuffling in the grass behind her and Trev draped a wing over her, reaching down and picking up her tunic between his teeth, to avoid slobbering on it, and gave it to her. Ayla pulled it back on after a moment of hesitation. She finished dressing in silence, her eyes not leaving in the ground.

"I'm sorry." She whispered, leaning against Trev's side, still covered by a black wing. "You're all I have."

"_No. There is so much out there for you. I won't hold you back any longer."_

Ayla frowned at his mournful voice.

"It's there for you, too."

Trev didn't reply. He only withdrew his wing and turned his sad eyes towards Ayla, which she reluctantly looked into. He growled softly and nuzzled her before turning to the Night Fury, who had been sitting silently the entire time. He seemed unbothered by the rustling from the shrubbery, so Ayla disregarded it.

Trev made a noise, a garbling growl.

The Night Fury seemed to laugh, his sides shaking and a strange chuckling noise emitting from his mouth, halfway between a bark and a snarl.

"_Is he- Is he laughing at me?"_

"I think so." Ayla said, a slight smile creeping back onto her lips.

He made a noise and gesture to himself.

Trev repeated it.

He jumped up and pranced around a bit, encouragingly nodding his head.

Then he pointed a claw to the ground and made a different noise. Trev repeated that one too. He grinned a gummy smile which drew a laugh from Ayla. He was a goofy thing, that much was for sure.

Soon enough, he was darting around the clearing, pointing to things and making noises, which Trev repeated and Ayla listened to, trying to memorize them to try out later. It was a strange affair, but soon all three of them were excited. The Night Furies' tails waved in the grass and Ayla was smiling.

Once everything in the clearing was named, the Night Fury pointed to things for Trev to repeat back to him. Trev did so, accepting the praise and the corrections in turn. Trev seemed to be letting himself go a little, much to Ayla's surprise and pleasure, and actually enjoying himself.

It wasn't long though, before everything in the clearing was properly addressed. The grass, ground, trees, leaves, ferns; there really wasn't much.

The dragon sat back, humming, clearly think about how to explain more complicated matters. He looked around, but nothing came to him after several long minutes. He growled his frustrations to the sky.

Ayla knew they were a long way off from anything. They needed lots of obscure words to ask the questions they wanted answers too, but they had a start and they had the hope they needed.

"Maybe that's enough for today?" She suggested. "How about a flight?"

"Sky." Trev said. It was a low toned rumble, barely perceptible by human ears. Ayla wondered if there were sounds Night Furies made that humans couldn't hear at all. It wasn't something she had thought about before, but the theory shouldn't be too hard to test.

"Sky." The Night Fury repeated, flashing out his wings. He made a new sound, which Alya took to mean _wings. _Then a mournful, wistful look came over his face and he shook his head.

"Does he not want to go flying?" Ayla questioned. As if he understood her, he swept his tail in front of his and flashed his fins at them. Or rather, his fin. The left tailfin was absent from the end of his tail.

Ayla gasped, feeling pain for him deep in her bones, almost physical, as if it were her own body. She knew he couldn't fly anymore. Tailfins were a critical part of a Night Fury's flight. They provided stability and almost all of the steering.

"_Wait. Didn't we see someone riding him yesterday? While he was flying?"_

"Yeah...We did!" Ayla realized. "So you're not grounded?" She asked the dragon. He didn't seem to understand that. He just lightly waved the damaged tail up and down.

"Can I…?" Ayla asked, reaching towards it. He seemed reluctant, but allowed Ayla to touch his tail. There was a long, ragged looking scar that ran where the second fin should be. It was light grey and tough, as if it had been torn off roughly. He whimpered lightly and shivered as Ayla traced her fingers over the old wound.

"You poor thing." She murmured, releasing his tail. "But how did you fly?"

He purred and pulled his tail around his feet, all of his previous excitement at talking to Trev forgotten as the bleak memory of his broken tail and loss of freedom was brought up.

"Maybe someday we can fly together?" Ayla suggested, more to herself than either of the male Night Furies. Her interest was peaked as she wondered about the problem. It was clearly something that the human boy had done to him to help him fly, but she couldn't think of anything.

"_It's getting late." _Trev spoke, the allegory of his words was easily interpreted by Ayla.

"Mmhm." Ayla murmured. "I'm sure someone is wondering where you are." She said to the Night Fury. He murmured something before reaching forward as if to nuzzle Ayla, but he retracted his head one a second thought.

"We'll be back tomorrow!" Ayla hopped onto Trev's back with a fluid movement. A pair of green eyes watched with wonder and longing and a hint of sadness and the pair swooped low over the trees.

**AN_**

**I haven't much to say today, just thanks for reading and I hope you are enjoying my story. :)**

**-Birch66724**


	8. Insights

Stormfly landed calmly in the clearing behind Astrid's house, where a back door led out to a stable where the Deadly Nadder slept on the edge of the woods. Astrid fetched several large fish from a barrel against the house for her dragon. Hiccup smiled tiredly as he watched Astrid play with Stormfly, scratching her affectionately as she fed her.

"So? What's next?" Hiccup asked as the Nadder retreated into the stable for some much deserved rest.

"What? You're asking me?" Astrid smiled teasingly as she wiped her hands on her pants.

Hiccup rolled his eyes. "Yes."

"Well, let's see. We know about this Night Fury rider, but we can't find her. She doesn't seem to be a threat to Berk, and she hasn't showed back up, so…. The next logical thing to do is to stop looking."

"But-" Astrid cut Hiccup off with a raised hand.

"If she wants to be found, she will be."

Hiccup frowned lightly. "It just seems like there is more to it than that."

"There isn't!" Astrid feigned exasperation. "Now, I'm hungry, so let's-"

"There you two are!" Snotlout came running up the path as Hiccup and Astrid rounded the house. The Thorston twins were running along behind him.

"Look at this!" He thrust out a crudely made wooden sign.

It read; WELCOM TO BERK in sloppy red paint.

"What is _that?" _Astrid critically asked.

"A sign, duh." Ruffnut said. Astrid glared at the girl.

"Uh, Snotlout, who's that for?"

"Who do you think it's for?" The black haired boy scoffed, turning the sign around to admire his handiwork. "Who is the only person we know that could possibly need a welcome to Berk?"

"Welcome is spelled with an E." Astrid pointed out.

"I told you!" Tuffnut yelled. "No one appreciates my intellectual ability!"

"Urrg! Now I need to find more of those stupid berries to paint with! Maybe if you didn't eat the rest of them I wouldn't need to, Tuffnut!"

"Wait! Is this for the Night Fury rider?" Hiccup broke in before the boys started to fight in the street.

"Obviously! Sometimes you can be so stupid Hiccup!"

"You've met her?"

"No! Gods, think for once! If I met her, I would have given her the sign." Snotlout spoke without removing his glare from Tuffnut.

Hiccup glanced at Astrid and would have laughed at the face she was making if the situation hadn't been making him so tense.

"Nevermind that." He said. "Have any of you seen Toothless?"

"No." Ruffnut said absently. "Have you seen what they are serving in the Great Hall today? It's so good. It's like that one stew when had the other day, but instead of the lamb, I think the meat was-"

Hiccup didn't listen to the last part of her comment as his concern settled back over his mind at the fact that Toothless hadn't been seen all day. He must be on the island of Berk somewhere, as he couldn't fly on his own, but that didn't squelch Hiccup's worry. Berk was a pretty large island by comparison of the others in the archipelago, with forests that stretched for miles and miles to the shore on the other side. Within the woods, there were countless crevices and caves, places where the ground was soft and could give way to slews of mucky water and muddy soil.

He shuddered slightly, picturing his beloved friend stuck somewhere, the unrelenting mud slowly climbing higher up his legs.

Hiccup huffed to dispel the thought. Toothless was too smart to be stuck in some mud. Not to mention he was massive.

"Hiccup?"

"Huh?"

"I said, let's go down to the Great Hall and get some of this soup that Ruff was talking about." Astrid spoke pointedly, clearly less than pleased at having to repeat herself.

"It's _stew _Astrid! Soup and stew are two very different things." Ruffnut retorted.

"Yeah, good idea." Hiccup forced a smile at Astrid and she gave him a quizzical look.

"Tuffnut, let's go! I'm not search for those berries alone."

"What? Are you scared of the woods?"

"No! It's just that- It's just that you're the one who ate the other ones, so it's your fault that we even have to go back in there.. With the spooky branches and the little-"

"Snotlout is scared of the woods! Snotlout is scared of the woods!"

The jeering and chatter of the twins died out behind them as Hiccup and Astrid walked down towards the middle of the village. It was almost felt as if nothing had changed for a split second, but that was all the longer it lasted. A Gronkle swooped down from a roof top and Astrid bumped into Hiccup with a laugh. Those were two things that would have never happened in the old Berk.

Things had changed. So much. And almost entirely for the better. The age old war between Vikings and dragons was ended, Berk was filled with the beasts, helping them fish and hunt and guard the village. People were getting along and the weather was finally turning for the better.

"The air smells so good." Astrid remarked, bringing Hiccup from his reminiscing.

"Yeah." He said lamely, sort of surprised by the comment. Astrid wasn't really the sentimental type.

"Cool and bright. So fresh."

"Besides that stable." Hiccup joked as they passed by an unclean dragon's home.

Astrid flashed him a rueful look, but her smile remained. She was smiling so much these days.

"What has gotten into you?" He asked, returning the grin.

"Oh, nothing." She chirped.

Hiccup rolled his eyes and she jumped ahead, ducking through the open door into the Great Hall. Warm smells poured through the door into the late afternoon air, boisterous peels of laughter and giggles of small children floated on the breeze.

Hiccup sighed as he entered the comforting space. It was hard to believe that just a few years ago he had hated going to the Great Hall. It was always a struggle to interact with the countless people there, find a place to sit and eat without teasing from his peers. The noise always seemed too loud for his ears, the fire too bright and the smells to overpowering. Mead and roast meats were never something he rejoiced in smelling.

Now, in the evenings, he could rarely enter the gathering place without a small grin. Especially when Astrid was by his side.

"Coming?" Her head poked out of the door, the torches on the outside catching in her blue eyes and sparkling like stars.

"Yep." Hiccup hadn't realized he had stopped walking during his thoughts.

"Hiccup, always lost in his own world." Astrid teased lightly, leading their way through the groups of people to the center of the grand building, where meals were served and an enormous fire always roared.

Hiccup politely thanked the women serving the stew and grabbed some hard bread before walking over to their usual seats. Only Fishlegs sat at the table, scribbling furiously over a large, old bound book. It's parchment pages yellowing and fraying, some singed by flame or smudged with dirt, and the leather cover was worn and creased from time.

"Hey Fish."

He didn't look up at Astrid's greeting, just grunted a slight acknowledgement and turned the book to get a better angle.

Hiccup took a bite of his stew and craned his neck to get a view of what Fishlegs was working on, but the boy's arm obstructed his sight line.

"What are you working on there?"

Fishlegs didn't respond for a long moment, only scribbled furiously, hunched over the book. Then, he raised his head and gave a satisfied, "There she is!"

He slid the book across the table top.

Hiccup had already identified the book as Berk's Book of Dragons, but he hadn't known Fishlegs was still working on it. He assumed that in the last three years the boy had had plenty of time to update and finish all of the pages.

Glancing down, Hiccup stopped chewing when he saw the book open to the Night Fury page. The page that had always been empty, up until Toothless.

Beside the sketch that Hiccup had placed in the book several years ago, was another. It was more crudely drawn, with harsher lines and abrupt angles, less shading and much more charcoal, but nonetheless a great drawing. It stood taller over the first drawing, with larger eyes and longer wings. Below the new sketch it said; FEMALE and below the older one; MALE.

"So, you like it? I think that I am going to come back and do some more shading on the wings and add some more scale detail, but over all-"

"It's very nice Fishlegs, but how do you know that the new Night Fury is a female?" Hiccup was taken aback by the sketch. It was completely unexpected and brought Hiccup's worry about again, just when he was stuffing it back down.

"I don't, but in most dragon species, the females are larger than the males, and Fenrig said that the one he saw was larger than Toothless."

"Huh." Hiccup said. Astrid leaned over to inspect the picture, nodding her approval at Fishlegs before returning to her meal. Hiccup didn't feel hungry anymore though. Something about this new rider and Night Fury set him on edge, gave him a feeling he couldn't quite name. With everyone in the village buzzing about it, there was no escape.

"I need to go." He stood abruptly from the table, ignoring Astrid's and Fishlegs' questions as he hurried from the Great Hall. Something needed to be done about this. Before he went truly insane.

**xX Wings That Change Xx**

"I want to talk to you." Ayla said plainly, purposefully not adding any emotion to the words. The request still solicited a disgruntled look from Trev.

"_I am talking to you."_

"You know what I mean." Ayla didn't look at him as she slowly turned the cod over the fire. She'd gutted it and speared the dead creature on a piece of green wood, as to cook it without the stick catching fire. She was trying to eat more like humans did; cooked, cleaned food.

"_I don't have my clothes." _The pair had decided to spend the night on the far shore of the island of Berk, ready to get an early start and met the other Night Fury.

"That doesn't matter." Ayla shot down his excuse. Some deep part of her longed to hear another human voice. It had been too long and her ears rang with only the sounds of the forest and her own voice. It left her feeling lost, almost as if she was crazy to think she could talk with a dragon inside her head.

"_The things I do for you." _Trev said as he stood beside the fire he had created and shook dead pine needles from his sides.

It was an odd thing to watch Trev change. Ayla assumed it was the same for her, but of course, she'd never seen the miraculous event happen to herself. With a strange flash of electric looking blue light, the body of the Night Fury contorted, folding in on itself and arching as if being driven away from the ground by an unseen, unstoppable force. The slim frame of a human crouched on the damp ground in its place.

Ayla had always thought Trev looked rather dragon-like even in this form. He moved like one, with shaggy black hair that hung over his eyes and wiry limbs. His eyes remained feral looking, too much a part of the natural world than a humans' should.

"Paint a picture, it'll last longer." Trev's voice, gravelly with disuse, held an air of his witty sarcasm. It was an intonation that didn't transfer with their mind to mind talk.

It brought a smile to Ayla's lips, which Trev returned. His smiles were lopsided, the right side of his mouth hitched up higher than the left. He looked almost boyish, despite their almost 20 season cycles of age.

"Hello." Ayla said.

"Why do you say hello like we've been apart?" Trev kicked his feet out towards the fire and laced his fingers behind his neck, leaning back against a tree truck. The picture of content relaxation.

"Because we have been."

"No. I'm always with you Ayla."

"You know what I mean." She replied, swallowing down an indignant huff at Trev's words, as not to put him off.

"Okay. Fine. It's not the matter anyhow. What did you want to talk about?"

All of Ayla's words were right on the tip of her tongue, but her throat felt tight with emotion, cutting off the air to push the words out of her mouth. She had never been good at hiding her feelings, too prone to succumbing to them.

"Don't get yourself all worked up now." Trev said, reaching a hand over to touch Ayla's shoulder. "Hey now."

She took a shaky breath and turned to him. His deep brown familiar eyes danced with reflected firelight. They were grounding, the only physical similarity between the Night Fury and the boy rubbing circles on her collarbone with a thumb. A human finger, not a claw. A finger tipped with a harmless, thin nail, not a sharp, deadly appendage.

"Are you sure you want to do this? I mean, this is going to change so much for us…"

"It's going to change everything." Ayla's eyes flashed up to him, but he was looking to a far off place, a place only he could see.

Ayla shifted on the hard ground, unsure of the meaning of his sentence. Was it just a conformation of her admittance, or was it a change of his mind, a gentler way of saying he didn't want to do this?

"But, this is what you want, and you know." He cocked his head and looked back to meet Ayla's eyes. "Who would I be if I denied you the one thing you've ever wanted?"

She couldn't watched as he turned a wistful gaze to the stars, spread like an intricate quilt above them, visible now that the clouds had cleared.

"I just don't know how you can give all this up." He said, standing up and sweeping his arms to the sky.

"I can't. I never will." Ayla said, standing beside him. She didn't like him standing over her like some kind of domineering Gronkle. _No, that wasn't right. If Trev was a dragon, he would be a… Night Fury_. Ayla scoffed and shook her head at her own thoughts.

Trev turned a curious gaze her direction, but it was not about her little self induced outburst.

"What do you mean, you won't give it up?"

"Just because I'll live among the humans, doesn't mean I can't spend a day alone. Flying and remembering…."

"Hmm."

Ayla shut her eyes imagining her life in the future. She'd live in a village, maybe Berk, maybe not. She'd have her own little hut, that is, until she met a dashing Viking boy that would sweep her off her feet and make her feel like she was soaring without wings. They'd marry and move in together, but on slow days, when thick clouds covered the village but no rain fell, she'd make an excuse and run from the village, strip the clothes and attitude she'd worn to disguise herself in the village, and take to the skies.

"I'm going to sleep." Trev's deep voice broke through her day dreaming. Or well, night dreaming. The sun had set a long time ago.

"Goodnight." She said.

"Goodnight." Trev said, preparing to turn back to the life that he had decided for himself.

"And Ayla, just know, I am certain." He looked at her as his body phased and grew, changing to the color of the surrounding night.

He settled down and lifted his wing for Ayla to join him, crooning gently. She gave a soft smile and laid down, relaxing into the familiar warmth, encased in a wing as black as a starless sky, but had seen more stars than one could count.

X*X*X*X*X*

Ayla didn't know what had woken her. In fact, she didn't even know when she had fallen asleep. All she remembered was the beating of Trev's heart and his heavy sleeping breaths.

Something snapped in the forest. Ayla opened her eyes in the blackness and licked her dry lips. Something felt off. Ayla strained her ears to hear more sounds, but nothing came. Eventually giving up on that idea, she gently lifted Trev's wing and slid out, into the cold night. The fire was reduced to a pile of smoldering embers and clouds had partially covered the sky again. The sliver of moon offered very little light on the situation.

Trev grumbled at being disturbed and tucked his wing back to his side. Ayla didn't pay him any mind as she looked into the deep black brush. There was a slight stirring and a shadow moved. Something moderately sized. Larger than a Terrible Terror, but smaller than most dragons. Something, _human _sized.

Ayla's breath hitched in her throat as she pulled the dagger from its sheath on her waist, holding it in a defensive position. She crouched and hurried over to Trev, shaking him awake. He groaned and pushed her away with one paw.

"Get up. Someone's watching us." Ayla hissed as quietly as possible. His eyes snapped open, but he didn't rise to his paws.

Ayla ducked behind a bush when the figure shifted again in the background. She watched silently as Trev remained laying down, his eyes open and ears listening intently behind him.

The shapes definitely identified themselves as human when one spoke in a thickly accented voice.

"I thought you said it was a tame Night Fury."

"It is."

"Then what in Thor is it doing in the middle of the woods?"

Ayla wasn't familiar with the expression, but she was familiar with the evil tone of the speaker. Just about every human she had ever encountered that had any interest in her or Trev had the tone. Evil intentions could always be heard in the intonation of one's voice.

_How had they found us?_

"It's not alone. Must be a human here." Ayla couldn't see them, but she guessed he was gesturing to the fire, enclosed safely in a ring of stones.

"Where's the boy at then?"

"I dunno."

Ayla came to the realization that they must be talking about the other Night Fury, the one that lived in Berk, and his rider, the human boy. There was something twisted going on here, something that required more thought than Ayla had time for.

"Take him now then!" The first voice commanded and then the forest was a mess of rustling branches and sounds of ropes and metal things clinking together. It was far too dark for Ayla to see anything that was going on, but she knew Trev would be able to see everything. If he wasn't turned away from the people.

They must have been too busy with whatever they were doing to notice the swiveling of the Night Fury's ears as he listened to their every move, gauging their locations and actions, waiting for the perfect moment to strike. Ayla stayed hidden as she saw the telltale blue glow lighting up Trev's nostrils and the edges of his mouth.

"Now!" One of the men called and the other threw a large net. Trev leapt to his paws, ducking out of the way and blasting the first man. He flew backwards, the force of the blast eviscerating his chest and rolling the lifeless body back several body lengths.

The second man yelled and turned to run, but Trev was upon him in one swift bound, slamming him to the ground and freezing him in place with an open maw, dripping blue flame.

Ayla jumped the bush and bypassed the first body, racing to Trev and the second man before Trev blasted his head off.

"Who are you?" She cried, brandishing her dagger, as if that was more dangerous than the Night Fury looming directly above him.

"It's not me you're looking for!" He practically squeaked, his dark eyes darted between Ayla and Trev, trembling in fear.

"Then who?"

His strange accent made it hard for Ayla to hear what he said.

"Drago! Drago Bludvist!"

The words held no meaning to Ayla. Trev dispatched the man with an unsavory blast, sending chunks of charred flesh flying every which way. With a snarl, he followed Ayla as she made her way back to the dying fire.

"What did he say?"

"_Dragon Blood Fist?"_

"What in the lightning does that mean?"

"_No idea." _Trev shook his head, puffing black smoke from his nostrils.

"Weird. We can't stay here anymore." Ayla said, dismissing the man's words.

"_Why?"_

Ayla made a disgruntled noise and shook her hand at the mess Trev had made of the two bodies. He mimicked her, much to her irritation.

"You're so messy about it!" She argued. A small part of her heart twinged at the two lives Trev had just taken, but they had clearly had evil intentions, so their lives mattered not. It was the simple act of protecting themselves, killing those two men. True, Trev could have just scared them off, but then where would they be? Still being hunted. There was only one way to take care of problems. Eliminate them.

It was the way they pair of them had lived their entire lives. Once they were banished from their original village, word spread about the two kids that could change into dragons. Most dismissed them as rumors, tall tales, stories to be told to misbehaving children. But there was always someone who had believed the words, Someone who knew something like a human Night Fury cross could fetch a lot of gold at mainland markets.

Those attacks had trickled off, like a spring stream created from melting snow, as the seasons went by and Ayla and Trev made themselves scarce. Hiding and living secret lives alone.

It was simply a part of their lives. Kill those who had evil intentions. It was a way of life that worked for them, the way of life that kept them safe. Kept them alive.

"_Better messy than alive." _Trev said scornfully. Ayla sighed and smiled, leaning against him. His nose was still warm from his fire. He nuzzled her. They stood for several moments, looking at the graying sky. The stars were receding, fading back to wherever they went during the day.

**AN_**

**This is definitely my favorite chapter thus far! I love the moments between both Hiccup and Astrid and Ayla and Trev. Really gives you an **_**insight **_**into their relationship, eh?**

**Sorry for the long time no see, but life has been crazy busy for me! Please please leave a review, they make my day!**

**-Birch66724**


	9. Showoffs

It was the sixth morning in a row that Hiccup had awoken to a missing Toothless. Each day he grew more restless and disturbed, but he hadn't gone in search of the Night Fury since the first day with Astrid. He always returned at nightfall with bright eyes and happy growls, looking excited and full of anticipation.

Hiccup had spent each day in the forge, doing mind numbing tasks like forming nails or chain links. That left him free to think and wonder. Perhaps that was not such a good thing though. Astrid had been trying to talk him down, but to no avail.

Today was going to be different though. Hiccup had packed his bag the night before with the intention to follow Toothless when he left, but he had fallen asleep. The black dragon was already gone, disappeared into the depths of the morning woods.

Frost coated all of the new leaves and crunched under Hiccup's boot as he walked down the path. The air was crisp and his breathes formed translucent clouds in front of his nose as he walked, scanning the trees for anything out of the ordinary.

He didn't have a plan persay, but he had a goal. Find Toothless and figure out what was occupying him everyday. Not like Hiccup didn't already have his speculations, but he had to know for certain.

Something about Fishlegs' drawing of the female Night Fury in the Book of Dragons seemed to fit the mold all too well. It seemed to be the only thing that Toothless would choose over Hiccup. The only thing that could get him excited enough to sneak away every morning. Hiccup had been slightly stung when he came to the realization, but it only made sense. Toothless would obviously choose someone of his own kind over a human boy. Even if that human boy was the only one who could offer him flight.

Hiccup thumbed through his journal to the ripped out page, as if he expected the drawing of the Night Fury and the girl to reappear. He didn't know when it had come loose from the binding of the book, or where it had fallen. It was gone just as sure as Toothless.

His feet lead him to the place where he had first met Toothless after he had shot the dragon from the sky. With the sight of the jutting boulders, the scarce undergrowth and the pond with its still frozen edges, came a pang of sadness and loss. Things had changed between Hiccup and Toothless in just a few short days.

Hiccup sighed and shook his head, setting his teeth in resolve and turning away from the place. He felt guilty for feeling resentful that Toothless had finally found something that made him happy. This was what he deserved. How many years had they spent thinking there were no other Night Furies?

_I only wish he would share it with me._

The thought resonated like his heavy footfalls as he made his way deeper into the woods. Hiccup had never considered himself to be the outdoorsy type, but the crisp woods held a certain appeal. The stillness of everything helped to soothe him like a ship rocking over gentle waves. He was so involved in his steady, even steps, that he almost missed the faint sound of laughter from a place not too far ahead.

He stopped and stood up straight, looking in the direction he thought he had heard the sound from. It was a long tense moment before a sound came again. The woods had come alive with the rising sun, small animals and birds flitting to and fro, but this sound was distinctly human.

The words were indistinguishable, but the pitch was a human girl. She sounded happy with a quality of laughter to her tone.

Hiccup turned so he was facing the sounds, but didn't move any closer. He wasn't quite sure what to do. True, he wanted to meet her, but he didn't know how. In fact, he didn't think he had ever met someone new. Completely new that is, not from Berk. Everyone knew everyone in some way, so no one was ever really a stranger. He had no idea what to say! And then there was the whole matter of her partner. The Night Fury. The most feared type of dragon by any Viking. Of course, they knew now that they were just playful lizards, but a scared dragon was a dangerous dragon, and if this one thought of him a threat, there was no telling what it was capable of.

A growl came from ahead and drew Hiccup from his musings. It almost sounded like Toothless, but not quite. It was slightly different. More wild sounding. Unfamiliar.

Hiccup took a deep breath and squared his shoulders. This was what he had been waiting for. Time to meet this Night Fury and her rider. Time to see what was taking up all of Toothless time.

He withdrew his flaming sword from its loop on his belt, but he didn't engage the blade. He just held the handle at the ready. Closer he crept, trying not to alert them of his presence until he could see them, but they were concealed behind a thick copse of scraggly pines with overgrown vines snaking up the branches. He wanted to see them before they saw him.

His eager anticipation didn't lead him to question the way the forest fell silent around him. He didn't even notice the huge black shadow looming over the space when he stuck his head through the thick pines, trying to catch a glimpse. He definitely saw more than just a glimpse.

The enormous Night Fury was raised up on her back legs, wings spread and claws outstretched towards him. Hiccup yelped in surprise and stumbled backwards, tripping over his prosthetic leg in the process.

With an enormous rush of air, the vines tore loose from the tree they were wrapped around and blew wildly in the wind generated from the Night Fury beating its wings to hover in place above him. Hiccup stared, awed as the dragon seemed to smile at him before turning and heading South, swooping low over the trees with precise movements and confident wing strokes.

Hiccup barely registered the human shape laying flat on its back before the pines were rustling and a familiar face shoved through.

"Toothless, bud!" Hiccup greeted him, but Toothless seemed to be laughing at him. His lips were drawn back in a gummy grin and low, chuckling growls escaped his throat. He squeezed out of the pines and pranced around, chuffing and looking at the sky before lowering his shoulder in invitation, eager to follow his new friends.

"I'm sorry bud. I don't have the rigging on me." Hiccup said, standing up and brushing off his pants. Toothless didn't seem pleased by that answer, if he could even understand it.

He grumbled and scooped Hiccup onto his shoulders and took off through the forest. He leapt and darted between tree trunks and branches, his only worry to reach the village as soon as possible.

Hiccup struggled to hold on to the Night Fury as he raced along, laughing all the way.

"Woah, take it easy!"

It was clear what Toothless wanted.

**xX Wings That Change Xx**

"_I hope you know they are going to follow us." _Trev said as he circled the top of their sea stack, the one that hid their cave. It was a short flight from Berk, but still just far enough that it wasn't visible from the island by human sight.

Ayla motion for Trev to land. It was too difficult to talk to him from his back, as the risk of falling was too great. For whatever reason, talking to Trev required her absolute attention.

"I think I'm ready now." She said, sliding from his back as lifting the leather flight mask from her face. Trev looked at her, as if asking if she was really sure.

"I am!" She insisted. Trev only gave a small whistling noise. It surely meant something in Night Fury, but he seemed rather unwilling to teach her most of the words.

"_We'll meet on our terms." _Trev finally spoke to her.

"That's what we are doing." Ayla said, slightly confused. Trev nodded his vast head.

"_Yes." _

"You make no sense." Ayla shook her head and fiddled with the leather visor on her helmet.

"_We are going to give that human boy a scare." _He ruefully growled.

"What? No! Trev! We need him to like us! To like me." She grabbed at one of his frills. He easily shook her off and trotted to the edge of the stack.

"_What could we do? Dangle him over the edge? Nah. Maybe if I snatched him off the back of the dragon-"_

"Trev! Absolutely not!" Ayla chased after him, but Trev just jumped off the ledge and flew a loop above her head, pushing their boundaries until they both started to feel fuzzy in the head. Ayla just plopped down to avoid tripping off the ledge in her distant state.

Trev landed behind her a moment later, cooing as he nosed her back, asking for forgiveness in his way where he didn't really mean it.

Ayla turned and stuck her tongue out at him. Trev reciprocated the action, stalking towards her with his massive wet tongue hanging out, growing nearer to her clothes.

"Trev." She said warningly, scooting backwards. He came closer, a humorous glint in his eyes. ""Don't!" Ayla said, moving back until her hands felt the edge of the ledge.

"_At least say we can give them a race."_

"No!"

"_Oh really?" _He challenged, prowling closer, letting at little growl rise from his throat and vibrate his tongue, making slobber drip down it until it hung in a huge droplet, swinging like a pendulum.

"Trev!" Ayla squealed. Closer he crept until he was hovering directly above her. She gave him her best glare, as that was the only defense she had against such an enormous creature. It did no good.

"Fine! Race! Whatever." She conceded. Trev hopped backwards, triumphant.

"I swear by the lightning you will pay for this." Ayla muttered and stood, only to be hit in the chest by her helmet, which she had dropped somewhere in the process.

"_Put that on! This is going to be one wild ride." _ Trev's swaying tail portrayed his excitement as his keen eyes flashed over the horizon, towards Berk.

He barked a strange noise and raced to her side as she tugged the leather apparatus over her face. Ayla couldn't see the approaching shape of the Night Fury and his human rider, but she knew they must be there. She slung a leg over Trev's back and barely had time to grab hold before Trev was off, racing towards them.

It had taken years of practice for Ayla to be able to comfortably hold on the Trev without any kind of saddle or ropes, but it was doable. She laid flat along his spine and held onto the bases of his wings, hooking her hands under them and holding tightly with her thumbs. Her feet sat just at the top of his dorsal fins so he still had full use of them. She could also sit up by hooking her knees in the same position, but usually opted for lying down as it made less work for Trev with the drag from the wind. She usually flew by laying her forehead flat on his scales, but when she wanted to see what was going on around them, she could prop up her head on her chin quite comfortably.

She did just that as Trev flew peacefully over the water, keeping low as they approached Berk again. Ayla could just pick out a black dot high against the blue sky. She didn't know what he was up to, but decided not to risk asking, in case he made any sudden moves.

The rush of the wind and the watery dancing of the waves were all she could hear as Trev coasted.

Then, when Ayla thought they had passed right underneath their target, Trev launch himself straight upwards, leaving her dangling by her hands from his shoulders. She just swallowed a chuckle and held on. It was Trev's turn to have some fun.

Higher they soared for several long moments until Ayla hear a roar, then a shout.

"Woah! Easy there bud!" The human boy called out, his voice thick with an unfamiliar accent.

Trev had cut off their flight and now hovered in front of them. Ayla tugged herself upright, into a sitting position as they bobbed up and down. The two Night Furies growled and barked at one another and Ayla stared at the boy. His brown hair was a windblown mess, as he was flying without a helmet, his eyes were a darker color, indistinguishable under the bright glare of the sun and his mouth hung slightly agape as he raked in the view. He looked up and down Trev, taking in the dragon's massive wingspan, huge claws and eyes and friendly demeanor.

The Night Fury was looking brightly from Trev to Ayla, speaking to Trev in their language. He was tied up every which way with ropes and straps of leather, from between his front legs, all the way down to his tail. Ayla tried to turn her head to get a better view of the contraption and figure out what he was doing to help the dragon fly, but she looked him straight in the eyes instead.

Ayla felt herself freeze as he looked her up and down. She knew he couldn't see much more than just the shape of her body, as she was covered in clothing and the flight mask, but it still made her almost shiver. Never had someone looked at her with such an intense curiosity. At least that's what she thought the emotion on his face was.

Ayla gave him the same treatment, although she could only see slits through the cutouts on her mask.

"Hello! I am-" He started to speak, reaching out a hand as if to take hold of her, but Trev growled loudly and drowned out his words. Then he turned and dove, leaving Ayla fumbling for a grip. She struggled to breath as she wondered if she had just made a fool of herself, looking as if she didn't know how to ride a dragon.

Trev looked back at them under his belly, bugling out a challenging word that Ayla didn't need to have a Night Fury's ears to understand.

_Catch me if you can!_

They were off, Trev weaving daringly through sea stacks, whipping around corners as if one with the wind. He expertly tucked and flapped his wings, spinning through tight gaps and rolling circles through the open spaces. Ayla didn't even try to keep track of which way was up. She just clung to him like a second set of scales and let him have his fun.

Glancing over her shoulder on a break from the barrel rolls, she saw the pair behind them keeping up surprisingly well. She hadn't expected whatever contraption the human had outfitted that poor Night Fury with to be able to stand up to one of Trev's tests.

Finally breaking out of the sea stacks, Trev circled higher into the sky on a vent of warm air rising off some shallow water.

"_Let's show them some of our moves. Follow my lead." _He snickered and Ayla rolled her eyes. Typical Trev to want to show off. And they usually didn't have an audience.

Ayla had laid back down somewhere in the process, so she got into a sitting position. Once she was settled, Trev flew upside down, rocking unsteadily side to side as he lost altitude to match the level of the other rider. Ayla let herself go lax, holding on only by her legs hooked around the bases of Trev's wings. Her arms dangled down, air rushing between her fingers and her head starting to pound.

Trev swooped a circle around the boy, holding Ayla close enough to reach out and touch him.

"_Let go." _Trev said. Although she really didn't want to, she did. It wasn't that she didn't trust Trev to catch her, it was that free falling as a human always gave her a strong urge to change into a dragon, as if to save herself from impending doom.

Ayla fell, cartwheeling through the air for quite a distance before Trev caught her gently by her upper arms with his paws. He was careful not to pierce her skin with his claws. She held onto him and he rose again, letting her stomach settle a bit.

The boy's face was one of shock. Ayla couldn't hold back a grin, but it was hidden behind the mask of leather.

_If that impressed him, he should just see some of the other stuff we can do._

They were at liberty to practice daunting aerial feats, because they always had a safetynet so to speak. If something ever went wrong, Ayla could always save herself. She'd just destroyed all of her clothes in the process.

Trev crooned to the other Night Fury before he swooped behind him and deposited Ayla, on her feet, onto his lower back. She really didn't like that.

Trev seemed to laugh at her as he looped away, leaving Ayla in the gaze of the boy as he craned his neck to look at her over his shoulder. He seemed at a loss for words as his Night Fury warbled a questioning call. Ayla staggered her feet to keep her balance as they coasted through the air. The ends of her braids blew wildly from where they stuck out of the leather and her fur vest whipped in the wind.

Trev flew above them to keep within range as time seemed to freeze. Ayla was enraptured by the boy. She could now see the deep green color of his eyes, standing as close to him as she was. He stared right at her, his lips slightly parted as if to ask something, but his head couldn't find the words.

Finally, she couldn't take it anymore. She gave a shrill whistle to grab Trev's attention and stepped off the Night Fury's back. The boy called after her, some long word, it's meaning stolen away by the sound of the air rushing over her ears.

She only fell for a few moments before Trev was beneath her, softly stopping her descent and carrying her upwards again. She stood up between Trev's shoulders as he flew wingtip to wingtip with the other black dragon. She felt like she needed to stand taller than the boy.

Trev wasn't content to just coast though, he wasn't done with his show of aerial talent. Arching his back, he bucked his shoulders and sent Ayla into the air. She kept her feet facing down by extending her arms as she floated for a second as Trev flipped beneath her, letting her land on his chest as he rumbled a call she could feel through her feet.

She hopped up to stand with one foot on each of his front paws, holding her arms out like wings to steady herself against the rush of the wind. Trev tossed her up again and spun letting her land back on his shoulders. She dropped one leg out to each side and sat down.

"_Let's land there." _Trev pointed with his nose at a small bare island, made up of jutting grey rocks and boulders. Ayla felt her heart racing faster in anticipation of the words to be shared with this strange human. She made a gesture with her arm at him as Trev tucked his wings slightly and started a controlled drop.

Trev landed easily and bounded a few steps to slow himself before Ayla slid off. He stood protectively around her, curling his long tail up to her feet and flaring his tailfins, hiding her lower legs from view. Ayla let him, feeling the safety and protection he offered just by being there. It was as if the human boy seemed to pose much of a threat, as he was rather scrawny and didn't seem to have any weapons, but the unfamiliar situation of voluntarily talking to another human was completely foreign.

Ayla watched as they landed a short distance in front of them. The Night Fury's green eyes were bright as he looked expectantly at them. The boy reached down and fiddled with his foot before swinging his leg off his mount. Ayla felt her head turn in puzzlement as a metal apparatus instead of a lower leg touched to the rocky ground. His other leg dropped roughly and huffed a breath before looking up at her.

"Um, hello." He said, fingering the edge of his tunic and looking at Ayla and Trev with a half smile. Ayla didn't reply. She listened instead as Trev trilled something to the other dragon and he snorted in return.

"My name is Hiccup. I'm from Berk."

Ayla thought she must have heard his name wrong due to his accent.

"Hiccup?" She asked, cringing at the sound of her own voice.

Hiccup gave an awkward laugh and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, I get that a lot. My parents must have hated me, right?" He chuckled again, but stopped shortly thereafter. Ayla reached up and toyed with the frayed hair at the end of one of her braids unconsciously. She had no idea what to say to him!

"Who uh, who are you?"

"Me?"

"Yeah…"

Ayla realized how stupid she must sound. Who else would he be talking to? She swallowed hard.

"Ayla." She said quickly. "And this is Trev." She gestured to the dragon at her side.

"Those are some, uh interesting names." Hiccup said, looking intently at Trev until Trev flashed his teeth at him.

"Knock it off." Ayla hissed to him. He looked up and rolled his eyes at her.

"_This kid is a bucket with a hole in it. Drip, drip, drip."_

Ayla ignored that comment. She didn't even know what he meant!

"And Hiccup isn't?" She tried to joke, but her lack of communication skills left it sounding much harsher than she intended.

"Oh! It is! It definitely is." He paused. "So, where are you from, Ayla?"

"Not important."

"Okay. It's okay."

Then there was another awkward silence with neither of them quite knowing what to say. Then Ayla remembered what she had wanted to know for the past few days, since they had started talking to Hiccup's dragon.

"What is his name?" She asked.

"Who's name? Toothless's?" He cocked a brow. "Oh! Oh Thor. It's Toothless. His name is Toothless."

"Toothless?" Ayla said incredulously. "Now that is a pair of weird names." She chuckled and Trev warbled.

"It's, well, it's a long story." Hiccup offered. Another silence.

"That was some impressive flying up there." He said. Ayla only nodded. It was an odd gesture to do with her leather helmet on, but she didn't know what to say.

She never knew what to say.

**AN_**

**Sorry to leave you hanging in the middle of the conversation, but I wanted part of it be in Hiccup's POV. You'll get to see that next chapter! Thanks for reading!**

**-Birch66724**


	10. Nice To Meet You

Hiccup could feel himself sweating. He had never met a new person before! People from Berk, or traders that stop by the island, for instance, someone had already known and introduced him to them.

But Ayla, she was…. Someone completely new.

"Yeah, Trev's a bit of a flaunter." She said in response to his remark about their showy flying. He had long wanted to attempt things like that, but with Toothless's impairment, it just wasn't possible.

He didn't know how to respond. He couldn't see her expression because she hadn't taken off her flight helmet.

"Trev is, really nice. He's so much bigger than Toothless." He lamely said.

"Yes." Ayla replied. He could tell she was nervous and uncomfortable without even seeing her face. She was fidgeting with the golden brown ends of her braids, shifting from foot to foot, and had yet to remove her hand from her Night Fury's side.

"You know, I have a friend that thought Trev was a female, because of his size." Hiccup started. "You know, because in most species of dragons, the female's are larger so they can better protect the eggs and all that. You know." He tried a smile.

Ayla slowly shook her head and ran her fingers lightly up and down Trev's gleaming black scales.

"Female Night Furies are quite a bit smaller. A bit smaller than Toothless." Hiccup glossed right over the weird pronunciation of Toothless' name as he got excited by Ayla's words.

"They are? You mean you've seen one?" He asked quickly, taking a couple of steps closer to her. She shrank back into Trev slightly but Hiccup tried not to notice. This was so exciting. Not only finding out there was another male Night Fury and another Night Fury rider, but a female Night Fury! He was going to have to tell Fishlegs to switch the gender labels on the pictures in the Book of Dragons.

He paused his excitedly racing brain as he watched Ayla. She seemed not to know how to answer what was a rather straightforward question. She turned to Trev and paused for a moment before taking a deep, long breath.

"Yes. I have seen one. But only one."

"Do you know where she is? I mean, this is so amazing! We thought that Night Furies were going to-"

"She is no longer..alive." Ayla said, talking the loudest she had since their conversation had started. Hiccups stopped abruptly, his hands freezing mid air where he'd been enthusiastically gesturing.

"Oh. I'm sorry. Was she, a, -a friend of yours?" He asked, feeling his hopes fall slightly.

"You could say that." Hiccup was confused by the comment and the harsh laugh that followed it. He watched Trev nudge Ayla in a consoling way and decided not to question it any further at the moment. It clearly seemed a sensitive subject.

"Uh, what business do you with Berk?" He asked, changing the subject.

"None." She replied.

"Huh? What about the, the boat you blasted? And Fenrig?"

"Fenrig? I know not of a Fenrig."

Hiccup shook his head. "You attacked the fishing boat and asked about Berk?"

"I did no such thing!" She said defensively. Trev lashed his tail back and forth, wapping the girl's lower leg repeatedly.

"But the, the boat! You blasted a hole straight through it! And picked up Fenrig and interrogated him!"

"_I _did not destroy the boat. That was all Trev's doing. In fact, I told him _not _to do that."

"But, he's your dragon. That puts you accountable."

"Accountable? For someone else's doing? You must do things very differently in Berk."

Hiccup was dumbfounded. He didn't even know what to say to her. It was the very thing he had been stressing for years, that dragons had personalities and feelings, and here he was going against his own beliefs. For a moment he didn't recognize himself, wondering if he really was becoming his father. He inwardly shuddered at the idea tried to reason with Ayla. It was made considerably more difficult by her covered face.

"Look, I don't hold you accountable for the boat, but some people will, so I guess what I'm trying to say is that you better come up with something better to tell them."

"Tell them?"

"Yes?"

"No. I don't think that is it. I have reasons for doing things that are none of their concern, Besides, I don't plan on talking to anyone else at the moment."

Again, Hiccup had to stop. He could feel his brow furrowed tightly together on his forehead and knew his confusion was evident on his face. Sh had to be the strangest person he had ever talked to. Not to mention her clothes. She wore a weirdly tight blue tunic under what looked like a fox hide vest. Her leggings were a knitted black and her boots looked to be made of fur. Quite an odd choice for the exterior.

The way she held herself was also sort of odd. Slightly hunched over, as if she was having stomach pains. Hiccup could see the white flickerings of her eyes darting around through the thin slits cut in the mask. She also wouldn't step away from her dragon. He thought that one to be understandable, as she was also meeting him for the first time. To Hiccup, it was almost laughable that someone could be afraid of him, to the point where they had to stand beside the most feared type of dragon known to Vikings.

"I think that I should be going now." She said quickly, seeming to make up her mind after a long pause.

"Wait! There is so much more that we could talk about." Hiccup said hurriedly, not wanting her to take off, knowing that he could never catch up to the massive Night Fury on Toothless, with his much smaller wingspan.

"I…" She said quietly before shaking her head and slinging her leg over Trev. Hiccup waited for her to continue, not wanting to interrupt anything she might be planning to say.

"I do want to talk to you again, but I have much to think about."

"Okay. I want to talk to you too, Ayla. We are the only two Night Fury riders after all." Hiccup imagined her smiling behind the mask at the comment. "But how will I find you again?"

"I will find you." She said firmly. "Until again, Hiccup of Berk."

Trev leapt into the air, blocking the sun for a moment, covering Hiccup and Toothless in a deep shadow. Hiccup watched until the black dot of the only other Night Fury known to existence disappeared on the horizon, merging into the darker line where the sky met the sea and became one with the endless blue.

Toothless watched too, humming deep in his throat, a noise so low Hiccup almost couldn't hear it. He was left with more questions then he had before the meeting. Ayla had to be the strangest name he had ever heard, and he had heard some pretty strange names living on Berk. She had such a thick accent. It sounded like something someone from the mainland would have, but how would a girl from the mainland get mixed up with a Night Fury? Dragons usually never went that far south. What had she meant about the female Night Fury? It was dead now, that much was clear, but there seemed to be something more to that story. And her flying skills with Trev… That was perhaps the most impressive thing Hiccup had ever seen. He didn't mind the fact that it seemed reminiscent of something Snotlout would do to try to impress Ruffnut because Snotlout would have failed miserably. Ayla looked like a Valkyrie dancing on the clouds.

And then there was the whole matter of what she was doing here. She had vehemently denied her affliction with the fishing vessel, but she had passed the blame onto the dragon. Which it was the dragon's doing. It wasn't like Ayla herself could have shot a hole clean through three layers of a ship.

Hiccup chuckled at the idea, but then felt a chill in the air he hadn't noticed before. There was no question in anyone's mind about how powerful a Night Fury was, but a Night Fury the size of Trev had to be able to so some serious damage.

Ayla was so reluctant to give anything up and Hiccup was just brimming with questions. He had half a mind to go after her right now, but there would be consequences for such actions. She surely wouldn't appreciate it. She had made it pretty clear that she would be the one finding him when she wanted to talk again. Stoick would not be happy about Hiccup going out to find this so called _rogue rider _on his own.

Hiccup took a deep breath then and steadied himself on Toothless's shoulder. He couldn't tell his father. He just couldn't. There was no telling what the Chief would do about the situation. Hunt Ayla down? Capture her and Trev? That would be no way to gain her trust and the secrets she surely held about dragons and Night Furies.

He started to pace. This was just too much to think about. He kept remembering things he had been planning to ask her on their first meeting, but had forgotten in the moment. Did she have anything to do with Toothless's daily occupations? Where she had been staying, what she had been eating? Where did Trev come from? How had she tamed him?

It was all too much! Hiccup knew he was grinning like a fool before Toothless warbled and nudged him.

"I know bud. But aren't you just thrilled? There is still so much out there to learn! And think, Dad just wants me to settle down and marry Astrid." Hiccup scoffed.

Astrid. He had to tell her. She would be able to tell something was up and would not relent until he had told her anyway. Plus, she was sure to have some valuable insight to the situation. She always did.

Hiccup made up his mind then, He would return to Berk, write out all of his questions and leave them in the cave where he was almost certain Ayla had been living. He would await her response and in the meantime, he would tell Astrid about everything and try to act as if nothing else was the matter.

"Let's go. We've got some work to do." Hiccup mounted Toothless and they flew back towards Berk.

**xX Wings That Change Xx**

Ayla was a mess. She didn't know what to think or how to react to the situation that had just unfolded. She thought she had kept her cool pretty well, all things considered, but she didn't know if it had come off that way to Hiccup.

Again, what a weird name. And Toothless, now she could put a name to his face, however ill fitting it was. The dragon had seemed quite subdued during the interaction, sharing only a few words with Trev. No telling if Trev had even known what was said, but that's besides the point.

The point being, Ayla had spoken to someone! Not just hid on the outskirts of some remote village and listened in to conversations, she had had one of her own. The captured man from the boat didn't really count, as that was all rehearsed ahead of time.

She tried to take some deep calming breaths to soothe her still racing heart. It was such a thrill, not knowing what Hiccup was going to say next and having to think up the correct response on the spot.

"_Was that all you hoped it would be?" _Trev broke into her already cluttered head.

She wasn't quite sure. It was in so many ways, but it also seemed lacking in some sort of way. A way she didn't even know.

"Yes." She yelled over the wind.

"_You're disappointed. I can tell."_

"No!" She said back. She really wasn't. Or was she?

"_A game of tail tag?" _He said. Ayla was tempted but ultimately refused. She felt that she would be betraying the life she was seeking if she just ran and hid in the body of a dragon every time something didn't go quite as she had hoped. But then again, that left her so confused, There was nothing wrong with the interaction.

Trev glided down and alighted on the edge of their cave. He shook his wings before he folded them to his sides and followed Ayla into the dim crevice.

The space was mostly empty, beside the stack of wood that Ayla and Trev had collected, Trev's clothes, and the drawing that they had found in the clearing. Ayla walked over and picked it up, stroking the smooth parchment with her thumb and staring and the gentle intricacies of the picture. There was no doubt in her mind that Hiccup had drawn it.

Trev lay down with a humpf and plopped his head on his front paws. Ayla stood and held the picture.

"The only way you could get me to change is to teach me some of Toothless's words." She said.

Trev seemed to consider it, then nodded. Ayla removed her garments and accepted the permission to phase from Trev. It was something she didn't really even have to think about anymore. When they were younger, it had been a challenge to figure out, constantly flipping back and forth with little control over the matter. As they had grown older though, it had become as second nature and walking or flying.

Ayla felt the white-hot heat flare over her flesh before she stood on four legs instead of two. There wasn't quite enough room in the cave to stretch her wings all the way, but she did as best as she could.

"Hello." Trev growled. That one she knew from the few other times they had done this.

"Hello." She replied. Trev nodded without emotion. Then he rumbled something with many different low pitches and hums. Something that a human would not be able to pick up with their inferior hearing. Ayla turned her head to portray her lack of understanding and Trev laughed.

"_I don't know."_ He said. Then it was Ayla's turn to chuckle. So they went in this way through the rest of the morning and into the late afternoon, until Ayla held the same amount of knowledge as Trev about the hidden language of the Night Fury.

They were interrupted by the loud noise of Trev's rumbling stomach.

"Come along." He said, growling it aloud instead of telling Ayla in her head. She hesitated for a moment, fighting between her pact to herself that she wasn't going to fly as much anymore, and the call of the orange and blue sky. Seeing Trev swoop out into the vast openness helped tip the scales towards a flight. She pushed off the ledge and flapped after him, humming her pleasure at the ache in her wings. They were sore after several days of disuse. It was the sort of ache that felt more good than bad. It was the feeling of being alive and free.

Trev, in his sneaky little way, swooped back and nipped the end of her tail before darting off with a playful snarl. It was too much to resist. Ayla flew after him, but she didn't possess the same speed as him in the open air, especially with his head start.

She snickered to herself as she fire off a shot, mainly composed of smoke, harmless to another Night Fury. It exploded beside Trev and he pulled up short, hovering in place for several wingbeats to discern the cause of the noise and the smoke.

It was just enough time for Ayla to catch him. She bit the end of his tail with a triumphant bellow. He howled after her.

"Unfair!"

She didn't reply, instead darting downwards, to the spires of rock, the only place she could outfly Trev. He knew that too, and was determined to not let her enter the rocky safe haven.

He dove after her, folding his dorsal fins in a way so they gave off the signature Night Fury whistle, more of a scream really, as the wind rushed over them. It was piercingly loud and dimmed Ayla's other senses. She struggled to gauge the distance between two sea stacks and had to slow down so she didn't crash on of her fully extended wings into them.

With a glance behind her, she saw Trev, his eyes narrowed in concentration, his mouth parted to nip her tail, streaming behind her. A tricky plan formed in her mind. She had about as much time to execute it as she had time to come up with it.

She dropped a bit lower, only about one body length from the top of the frothy water and acted as if she was going to shoot the gap at the bases of the rocks. Trev fell for it. With a mischievous snort, she pulled up short with Trev just a mere claw length from her tail.

He cried out at the deceit as he tried to backwing, but he weighed too much to stop himself before he plummeted into the water with a mighty splash. Ayla couldn't contain her laughter and didn't try to. She spiralled around the nearest stack and landed on top, letting her legs go weak with the sheer force of her laughter. She rolled onto her back, heaving for breath as a sodden Night Fury dropped heavily on the ground beside her.

"Funny, huh?" He said, extending each of his dripping appendages.

"Yes!" Ayla laughed out the word. It was funny sounding enough, between the chortles of laughter and the growl of the word that Trev chuckled too.

He jogged towards her, dripping water and stopped right beside her, shaking himself with the force of a storm wind. Ayla shrieked and hopped to her feet, dancing away from him.

"_I just know you love the smell of wet dragon." _He chided in her head, as they currently lacked the words to say that complex of a sentace.

Ayla pretended to sulk and she shook her head, flicking residual droplets into the air.

"_You can catch me dinner for what you just did there." _She said from a frozen pose.

"_Me? You're the one who tricked me in the first place." _

"_You're the one who let yourself be tricked." _It was all in good fun, with toothless smiles and playful growls.

Trev charged Ayla, tackling her to the grassy ground before she could flee in flight. She kicked at him, writhing beneath him, weakened by her laughter. She managed to wriggle free and jump away, turning with a menacing snarl that under any other circumstances, would have scared the living daylights out of Trev. He rolled onto his back, exposing his underbelly in mock surrender.

Ayla leapt onto him, sitting on his chest and slamming her claws down on either side of his head. She grabbed him around the throat and froze to speak to him.

"_I want a salmon. A big one, and you have to start a fire for me to cook it over too." _The way she had to stop what she was doing to tell him that really took away from the whole effect of her jaws around his neck, but Trev was understanding of the situation and didn't exploit her for it, as he knew it was something that long irritated her; her inability to talk like him.

"Maybe." He said aloud with a glint in his eyes.

"Maybe?" She reeled, releasing his neck and opening her mouth wider, drawing up blue flame in the back of her throat. Of course, they both knew she would never shoot Trev, but it was just a game of intimidation now.

"Yes! I will do it." Trev whimpered, covering his face with his paws but they didn't hide the affable grin on his face.

"I thought so." Ayla said, satisfied as she climbed off him. He stood up and shook blades of grass from his damp scales.

He dipped his head to her in an act of submission.

"I will go now." He said, sticking his tongue out at her. Ayla growed, swishing her tail in the grass behind her.

"_Of course. Everyone should know that I am in charge of you." _She paused and said, hopping off the edge of the rock and extending her wings.

"What?" Trev howled, following her. They both just laughed, playfully swooping around each other while looking for a school of fish.

Trev was right, as he usually was. A good flight and a game were always sure to brighten her mood. Living life as a dragon would certainly be simpler, but Ayla just wasn't quite sure it was what she wanted.


	11. What Does This Mean

Back on Berk, Hiccup tapped his pencil against his brow. He had returned only a few moments ago and got right to work on his letter of questions to Ayla. There was so much he wanted, no, so much he _needed _to know, and she seemed too skittish to stand there and tell him.

Now that he was sitting down to write all of the questions out, he had nothing to say. All of his earlier questions had vanished like a barrel of fish to a flock of Terrible Terrors.

He was left restless and slightly irritated. It wasn't as if he no longer had the questions, he definitely did, it was just that he had no idea how to write a letter to her. What should he put first? Should he write something about himself, to make him seem more approachable? Or should he just dive right in? Write down everything and spill the concerns about the rest of the people of Berk? If he warned her about how, well, how Viking they could be, would she be scared off, and never return?

There was only one person he wanted to talk to all this about; Astrid.

Although it had been his plan to tell her after he had written and delivered the letter, that wasn't going to work anymore. He grabbed up his leather bound journal and charcoal pencil, checked to see that Toothless was still dozing outside, and headed down to the Arena.

His walk was brisk, not stopping to talk to anyone in the unseasonably warm afternoon. Sheep were all over the street, probably scared straight out of their pen by some pesky wild dragon that had stopped by Berk on their way to their nesting grounds. Children tasked with herding them up shouted and ran about, shooing them this way and that, making the problem worse rather than helping. Hiccup ached to stop and help them, to provide some semblance of order to the chaos, but he had a more important issue on hand.

Upon arriving at the Arena, he found the space to be empty. He glanced around before ducking into the tunnel that lead down to Astrid's office-like space.

"Astrid?" He called down the stone way. The lanterns were all extinguished and the only sound that returned to Hiccup's ears was the reverberation of his own voice echoing off the bare walls.

He left the Arena at and even quicker pace, now anxious to find her. It was the middle of the afternoon, too late to be eating dinner and too early to be eating supper, but he hurried towards the Great Hall anyway. It was the only other place Astrid was likely to be, besides her parents house, and he didn't want to knock on their door to find only her mother, who was sure to pull him inside for a nice long chat and a cup of mead, even after he insisted that he wasn't a drinker.

He pushed open the heavy wooden doors and blinked in the darker space. A man, stooped over a table, grumbled as he shielded his eyes from the harsh light. Hiccup gave him a quick apology and walked farther into the space. It was, as always, warm and stuffy and smelling of stew and mead. There were a few people sitting here and there, the regular drunkards and Fishlegs, teaching a lesson to a few of the younger children from the Book of Dragons. Hiccup smiled at him and gave him a wave but didn't interrupt. He remembered he needed to switch the Night Fury labels, but didn't know how he could do so without admitting to Fishlegs that he had met the strange rider, which would be disastrous. Anyone who knew Fishlegs knew he could keep a secret worth a damn.

Finding nothing else of interest in the Great Hall, Hiccup slipped out and started the trek to Astrid's home. He hoped to Thor that she was there and could save him from her ever chatty mother.

The path took Hiccup past the forge and he felt a twinge of guilt that he hadn't told Gobber that he would be out for the day. He decided to stop in to see if Gobber needed anything. It was more so to avoid the inevitable conversation with Mrs. Hofferson than anything else.

As he reached for the door, her heard a familiar voice.

"I'm just not sure Gobber, he seems so, so preoccupied with everything."

"Don't you worry now lass, he'll come around, just you wait."

"How long? I don't know how much longer I can…"

Hiccup gulped and took a step back. It felt inherently wrong to eavesdrop on a conversation that he wasn't a part of… but… weren't they talking about them? Hiccup felt fairly certain that the _he _was him. Who else would Astrid come to talk to Gobber about? What did Astrid mean?

Hiccup felt twisted in his stomach as he reached for the door again. He hoped they wouldn't think he had been out there long. Astrid stopped mid sentence and looked towards the door as Hiccup entered. Her mouth was still slightly open as her face reddened. _They were definitely talking about me. _Astrid couldn't hide anything under her fair complexion.

"Hey! I was looking for you!" Hiccup called out, pretending not to notice as Gobber raised a brow with an amused smile as he changed out his hand piece.

"I was looking for you too! That's why I was here, actually." Astrid said after clearing her throat.

"Go on then, you two." Gobber said loudly, interrupting the uncomfortable silence filling the forge, save for the crackling of the fire. Hiccup nodded to Gobber and the man winked at Astrid, who pretended not to see.

Hiccup held the door for Astrid as the escaped outside.

"Where were you this morning?" Astrid asked coolly, looking at the ground and kicking at a pebble.

"That was actually what I wanted to talk to you about…" Hiccup trailed off when Astrid looked up, her blue eyes filled with some unidentifiable emotion.

"Is something wrong?" He asked gently, leading her off to the side of the road, away from the center where they were susceptible to being seen by passersby.

"Yes, no, I don't know." She said, looking past his head.

"Astrid." Hiccup said, trying to gain her gaze. He put a tentative hand on her shoulder.

She looked at him and frowned. "What's going on here, Hiccup?"

"What?"

"I mean-" She shook her head and looked away. "I'm not that type of girl who, you know, never mind."

"Hey, hey, what is it? You can tell me."

"You are the most unvikinglike Viking I know." She rolled her eyes and forced a smile to cover up the emotion on her face.

"Thank you?" Hiccup said with a hint of humor. Astrid didn't laugh, but her mood seemed slightly brighter.

"My father is pressuring me to marry." She said flatly. Hiccup didn't react right away. Of all the things she could have said, he never would have imagined those words coming out of her mouth, which was now pursed in a tight line. She looked everywhere but Hiccup's face.

"Uh, wow." He said lamely.

"I know. I have told him. I don't even know how many times, that I don't want to marry, especially this young. I mean, I'm not even twenty yet!"

Hiccup swallowed, feeling a slight tinge of disappointment at her most recent words. He supposed in some way it had always been his dream, well, fantasy, to someday marry Astrid Hofferson. He did realize though, that ever since she had started to show some slight interest in him, he hadn't exactly been the best at reciprocating it.

He shifted from foot to metal foot, weighing his options. He had no idea what to say to her. Console her? Reassure her? An idea formed and very unlike himself, he acted on it before he considered it.

He pulled Astrid closer and kissed her. Right on the mouth, for the first time ever initiated by him. She made a slightly startled noise and Hiccup pulled back, eyes wide in shock at his own actions.

"By Thor I never thought…" She muttered, pulling Hiccup back to her. He smiled into her mouth, all of his previous problems drifting away on the breeze.

He pulled away again a few moments later, out of breath and dazed.

"Trying to solve all my problems, huh Haddock?" Astrid smiled at him breezily, her previous mood vanished.

"What? No, I was just-" Hiccup reeled. Astrid laughed.

"I'm kidding!" She said, grabbing his wrist as he tried to back away, flushing bright red. "But, I could get used to that." She said quietly on she had secured him by both hands.

"Me too." Hiccup said, surprising himself with a wry smile.

Astrid laughed again, lighter and sweeter. "Took you long enough." She socked him playfully. He didn't respond to her jeer, only traced the shape of her face with his eyes; her gently nose, sharp jawline, large blue eyes, adorable mouth. He never realized how kissable her lips looked.

He cleared his throat and shook the thought from his head, moving his eyes from her mouth to her eyes, which were looking at his.

"But what did you want to tell me?" She asked.

"Oh well, it's not much, compared to your news, you know-"

"Tell me!" She insisted.

"Okay! I found her." Hiccup said, Astrid frowned her confusion. "The girl! The Night Fury rider!" He clarified.

"Oh!" A looked passed over her face. Again, it was unreadable to Hiccup. "That's well, good?"

"I hope so. She didn't really seem to want to talk."

"Wait? You talked to her? Alone?"

"Well, yeah. But I wasn't alone! Toothless was there, of course."

"Hiccup! You can't go off doing that!"

Hiccup was taken aback by her reaction. He had expected her to be excited or something, not upset at what he had done. "It was okay! If anything would have happened, Toothless-"

"If anything would have happened, no one would have known where you were!" She interrupted harshly. Her sweet smile from moments ago was as distant a memory as Hiccup's early childhood.

"Astrid." He soothed. "I'm alright. I'm okay, I'm right here." He didn't understand her reaction. _Was it possible that she worries about me?_

"But that Night Fury, it was huge!"

"Fenrig exaggerates." Hiccup shrugged, intrigued by the idea that Astrid might care about his well being.

"Still!" She insisted, looking flustered. "I'm glad you're back okay." She glanced at him up and down and then gave him a quick hug.

"Me too. But, I need to talk to you." He started. She nodded. "I was thinking of writing a letter and leaving it in that cave we found, the one where she is living, to ask her to come meet us and ask her questions. She said that she will find me when she wants to talk again, whatever that means."

Astrid nodded slowly. "I don't think she would appreciate you entering her home though."

"Probably not, but I don't think I could talk to her any other way."

"What do you mean?"

"That Night Fury is pretty big, and fast, and they fly together, like, so well. It's incredible."

Astrid raised a brow, amused.

"Stop it!" He laughed at her expression. "I'm serious, you should see it. It's like they can read each other's minds. She was standing on Trev and falling through the air and he was catching her and-"

"Wait, wait who's Trev?"

"The Night Fury! And her name is Ayla."

"Those are weird names."

"That's what I said! And then she told me that my name and Toothless's name were the weird ones."

"She was right about that one." Astrid said.

"Okay, maybe." Hiccup smiled.

"I'll help you write the letter. And tomorrow I will go with you to drop it off." She said the last part firmly, squeezing his wrist for emphasis.

Hiccup smiled at her. "Thank you, milady." He bowed to her as she giggled. Today was turning out to be quite a good day.

**xX Wings That Change Xx**

At Trev's insistence, Ayla was curled beneath his wing, flicking her tail with his as he couldn't seem to remember the concept of personal space. Now that it was warming up outside, Ayla had no reason to change overnight, so she hadn't been doing so.

He grumbled in her ear at her motion. Ayla returned the favor. Their day had been long and filled with new experiences and laughter, leaving them both tired but unable to sleep due to racing minds. Ayla way thinking about her future, as per usual.

Would she live on Berk? Did she want to? Where else would she go anyway?

She had no idea what Trev was thinking about, only that he was indeed thinking. She wondered if he was thinking about the future held for him too. She wondered if he would want to leave her if he could. If, by the lightning, they found some magical way to break the bonds that held them so tightly together, if he would want to. It was the question she wanted to ask him more than any other, but had yet to find the courage to do so.

He shifted again, withdrawing his wing slightly, leaving Ayla's paws exposed to the chill in the night air. She couldn't sleep when she was cold, which had led to this very sleeping arrangement years ago.

Ayla whined in complaint and he fixed the issue. They both fell into a restless sleep a while later, tossing and turning the whole while the moon made its flight across the sky.

X*X*X*X*X*

"Come on, Ayla!" Trev said from the mouth of the cave, trying out the new Night Fury word he had made for her name. It was a cross between a hum and growl, sounding quite melodic but firm at the same time.

Ayla smiled at him before abandoning her scales and the secret language and donning her clothes and satchel. Every day, they were a step closer to answers, hidden in plain sight by confusing snarls and growls and warbles.

"I thought it was warm out." Ayla muttered, crossing her arms over her chest. Trev took a long sniff of the air.

"_I smell rain." _He said irritably.

"Today?" Ayla asked, worried about their plans despite the cloudless sky.

"_No, tomorrow. Late though. Tomorrow night." _He clarified.

Relieved, Ayla climbed onto Trev's back. He took off lightly. They were still under the cover of dawn and flew freely, not worrying about being spotted by weak human gazes. Plus, most humans didn't get up before the sun anyway, according to their years of observations.

Landing in the clearing, Toothless was already waiting for them. He had jumped to his paws as soon as he had spotted the approaching black shape in the sky. He pranced around the clearing, wagging his tail to and fro and whipping bushes and ferns.

"Good day." Ayla greeted him and he smiled back at her, reminding her why Hiccup must have chosen such an awful name for him. His gummy grin offered him an alluring, almost docile expression.

Trev said a hello to his Night Fury friend and Toothless said a different one, adding to the repitaur of new words they were amassing. It was quite exciting to learn an entirely new way to speak. It added another barrier for Ayla between her two lives, now that they each had separate languages.

The day passed rather slowly for Ayla though. She wandered through the nearby woods, going as far as she dared in one direction before she was forced to turn around and find Trev. She knew that she could just learn the words alongside of Trev, but something felt inherently wrong about letting Toothless see the other side of her. If she was going to live in the human world, which Toothless had made himself a part of, she didn't need anyone knowing anything.

Midmorning, they all saw a blue Nadder swoop over head, low enough that they all ducked under brush to avoid being seen when they spotted two figures on its back. Toothless warbled up to the sky, as if calling out to the figures but not nearly loud enough for them to hear.

Ayla recognized the dragon as the one that girl had been riding the day Hiccup almost found them prematurely. She could only assume the two passengers were Hiccup and the girl. Ayla wanted to know her name. It was a fun thing to learn these human names.

Trev was exhausted when he returned them safely to their cave. He had gotten involved in a very, uh, _passionate, _game of play fighting with Toothless. He had plodded straight over to their designated sleeping stone and flopped down with an exaggerated sigh.

Ayla had been planning to follow him, but her small human stomach was growling for food. It seemed she had to eat at least once a day, which was rather irritating and inconvenient. She lit a small fire in the corner after kicking Trev in order to get a flame, and speared the remaining fish from yesterday. It had been placed between leaves and was perfectly fine for consumption.

The small flame lent light to the cave in the form of dancing shadows and abstract shapes, which was why Ayla almost overlooked the rectangle placed in the middle of the floor. But, something about the perfect edges didn't fit in with the rest of the shapes. They were too sharp and unnatural. Too human-like.

Rising stiffly from the cold stone floor, she picked up the piece of parchment, at first assuming it was the original drawing, blown free of its place in the corner by and odd gust of wind.

As she turned it over to look at the now memorized drawing, she was confused by something entirely different. Frowning, she turned the parchment every which way, trying to make out an image. Neat lines were drawn across the page, each made up of intricate little shapes.

She connected the dots quickly then. The Nadder flying over head. Hiccup's interest in her. His search. His questions. She felt a flare of anger that he had entered her home. Trespassed into a place where he didn't belong. It all faded quite quickly though as she was again captivated by the piece of parchment.

Some of the shapes seemed to repeat. Ayla chewed her cheek as she carried the page over to the small flame to get a better look. She studied it for a long time, but there didn't seem to be a discernible pattern. Some appeared in every line, and a few only appeared a couple times in the entire sheet. Ayla felt deep in her bones that it had a deeper meaning beyond a bunch of shapes, but she had no idea what it meant. Hiccup wouldn't have left it if it didn't mean something.

For a moment she toyed with the idea of waking Trev, but they shared basically all the same knowledge about the human world. If she didn't know, he didn't either.

Sighing, she set it down and cursed when she saw the blackened fish, perched above the flame. Cooking was way too much work.

After eating ash tasting fish, Ayla spared the parchment one last glance, as if the small amount of time had changed it or increased her knowledge. It hadn't of course. She resigned back under Trev's wing for another night filled with questions.


	12. Snowbound

"Hiccup!" A loud voice boomed through the house.

"Yes?" Hiccup answered, practically jumping out of his chair.

"Come down here, son."

Stoick was standing in the kitchen, leaning with both hands over the counter and looking out the small window. Angry grey clouds billowed behind the pane and wind whipped at anything it could get its greedy hands on; tree branches, open doors, clothes, livestock.

"Looks like we're in for the annual spring snow storm." Stoick remark and he turned to face Hiccup, He leaned back on the counter and folded his hands over his chest with a tired expression.

It was hard to believe that after several weeks of warming temperatures and melting ice that Berk was due for snow. But, that was just one of the perks of living on the edge of the world.

"Now, we don't need another one of last year's disasters." Stoick said, cocking a bushy red brow. Hiccup nodded in agreement, remembering hauling a shivering Snotlout and Hookfang from a deep drift.

"I expect you to spread the word to all of the riders. Especially the ones who can't figure it out on their own." He added gruffly as he crossed the room, grabbing his chiefly bear pelt cape. The one reserved for the worst of the weather.

"Is it going to be really bad?" Hiccup asked, intrigued. He never minded a bit of weather, you couldn't live on the Island of Berk if you did. Storms offered fascinating cloud formations and interesting phenomenons.

"Gothi warns so. She's been tracking the clouds for, well, forever." Stoick crossed to the door, which was creaking under the force of the wind buffeting it from the outside.

"Stay safe now son." He turned a fond look on his son. Despite Hiccup now having reach an adult age, it was still nice to see a sign that his father cared about him.

"You too, Dad."

The door shut with a resounding slam, dislodging old dust from rarely used surfaces. There was no light to highlight the moats swirling throughout the kitchen, but they made their presence known, tickling the back of Hiccup's throat until he coughed.

He hurried about the house, readying himself for the day with thick underclothes and a fur cape of his own, The Vikings of Berk had abandoned their dragon scale attire soon after their new neighbors moved in. Hiccup himself had never had any, seeing as one had to actually kill a dragon to get its hide, but that wasn't a worry anymore. Who needed a cloak of dragonskin when you had a real life Night Fury at your side?

Throwing open the door to face the weather, Hiccup sighed disappointedly at the empty yards. There was no Night Fury there. Hiccup tried not to worry as he started down the slope to find the rest of Berk's dragon riders. Ayla didn't seem to have any malicious intent and Toothless knew how to look after himself, even if he could no longer fly on his own.

The town was bustling. People moved every which way, rolling barrels and hauling firewood, many with the help of their dragons. Hiccup still had to smile at the sight of the two species working together. Even after three years, it still seemed too good to be true most days. No dragons were wearing any saddles, nor any Viking any riding attire. Most were smart enough to know better than to challenge the weather. They all knew who would win. There were only three people on the entire island Hiccup was worried about.

"Stand still Stormfly!" A bright voice cut through the cold din of the village. Hiccup smiled to himself as he wove around a group of men pushing an old donkey cart up the hill. The memories of yesterday came flooding back like a sun heated stream, warm and comforting. They sliced through the bitter wind and heavy scent of snow on the air.

"No flying today young lady!" He said, imitating his father's stern tone as he shook a finger at Astrid, who was attempting to lash a log to her Deadly Nadder's back.

"Young lady? I think I prefer milady." She grinned and kissed him on the cheek.

"Me too, actually." Hiccup said, grabbing her before she could turn back to the task and kissed her full on the mouth. The temptation was there and Hiccup was no God.

"Mm, what has gotten into you?" Astrid chided him playfully after pulling away.

Hiccup shrugged and gave her a rueful smile.

"Help me with this, would you?" She asked then, her usual serious demeanor taking back over. Hiccup helped her, holding the rope taught while she secured the knots. Stormfly squawked all the while. Astrid crooned to the dragon much like a mother would a newborn baby, scratching her under the chin and playing with her. Out of all the people on Berk that had taken dragons, Astrid's connection with Stormfly was one of the few that rivaled that of Hiccup and Toothless. _I doubt Stormfly would abandon Astrid for a pair of strangers though. _Hiccup thought bitterly, then regretted it. He wanted to be happy for Toothless, that there was another Night Fury, but something about the situation left him feeling on the outside.

"Come up to the house and help me get this inside." Astrid invited him along as she started to lead Stormfly back towards their house.

"I need to find the twins and Snotlout." Hiccup said, but his feet were already carrying him after Astrid.

"It'll only take a few minutes." She said, turning her head back into the wind to avoid the hairs escaped from her braid from blowing back into her face. Hiccup jogged a few paces to walk beside her. They walked in silence for a bit, Stormfly's heavy footfalls slapping the cobblestones behind them.

"I wonder if Ayla found that letter yet." Astrid mused.

Hiccup was slightly surprised that she had brought that up, but it had been on his mind too. "I hope so. I hope she comes back to explain too. She could teach us so much."

Astrid nodded her agreement. "I hope she is fine in this storm."

"What? Is Astrid Hofferson caring about another person's safety?" Hiccup chuckled. Astrid whacked him in the chest with the back of her hand.

"I'm serious! She might not know how powerful these spring snowstorms can be!"

"I'm sure she'll be fine. Night Furies are pretty protective. I'm sure Trev won't let anything happen to her."

"Trev…" Astrid ran the name over her tongue. "I wonder what that name means."

"It is really odd. Maybe she is from the mainland?"

"I hope so."

"Why?" Hiccup gave her a quizzical look.

"I've always wanted to learn more about the mainland! I heard they don't even have dragons there."

"Then she must not be from the mainland." Hiccup stated, watching as Astrid face slowly fell, then broke into a smile as she laughed at her own mistake.

"I guess not."

Hiccup rolled his eyes with a smile.

"Let's get this unloaded." Astrid pulled Stormfly to a halt as they arrived at Astrid's door. Hiccup hadn't thought about the possibility of seeing Astrid's father, but considering that this was his home, it only made sense. He felt a strange angry resentment bubbling just below his throat as he spotted the man. Olaf Hofferson, standing just outside the door with his axe. Who did he think he was, trying to marry off Astrid like she was some object?

"Mr. Hofferson." Hiccup dipped his head to the man, though it felt wholey wrong to do so.

"Hiccup Haddock. How are you this blistery morning, my boy?" He called brightly. Despite his intentions with his daughter, he was still a pleasant man.

"Quite well sir." Hiccup responded curtly, reaching up to undo a knot that was just out of Astrid's reach. She gave him a glare with no venom at his height advantage. It was one of the only things he had over Astrid, considering how she was good at just about everything she had ever done.

"I've been seeing you hanging around my daughter as of late." Olaf said, followed by a grunt and he heaved the log towards the ground. Astrid was out of earshot, around the other side of the house grabbing another axe.

Hiccup swallowed and hurried after Olaf, nervous by how nonchalantly the man had made the statement, as if just simply making another remark about the weather.

"Yes sir. We've grown quite close over the last year." He cringed at the words. Did that sound weird? He glanced around the house, willing Astrid to come back and rescue him from her father.

"Hmm." He paused, taking a swing at the log. "Close enough that I need to talk to the Chief about arranging a marriage contract?" He was so relaxed about this whole affair! He didn't even look up from his task to ask the question.

"Uh, I uh-" Hiccup could feel his face burning bright red despite the freezing air.

Olaf stood up and gave a mighty laugh. Hiccup didn't know the man well enough to tell if it was actually derived from humor or something else.

"Don't worry." He laughed louder. "Come talk to me when you get it all worked out. Between you and me, I know how stubborn that girl of mine can be." He grinned, showing off the black hole in his mouth where he was missing one of his front teeth.

"I'm just glad she's finally found someone who can live up to her standards. Or at least try to." Olaf cuffed Hiccup on the shoulder and winked at him. Hiccup tried to chuckle in return, but ended up making a sound halfway between a cough and choking to death.

Astrid rounded the corner on the house, brushing dirt from her weapon. "Stormfly must have hid my axe in the woods again!" She called, shaking a finger at her dragon in mock punishment.

Hiccup tried another laugh, more successfully this time. "Good to see you Mr. Hofferson, but I really need to get going."

"See you around, my boy!" Olaf called.

"I'll find you again before the snow starts." Hiccup said just to Astrid. She nodded and took in his expression. He could tell she wanted to ask, but thankful refrained. He hurried off without kissing her goodbye, no matter how much he wanted to.

**xX Wings That Change Xx**

"Even I can smell the snow now." Ayla grumbled as she slid along Trev's side to stand outside on the ledge. A fierce wind whipped across the landscape, teasing the waves into angry, foam tipped crests. Salty water sprayed where the waves crashed into the rock. The wind blew Ayla's braids back over her shoulders and made her squint.

"_It will be here soon. I think we have the day though." _Trev said. Ayla wanted nothing more than to lay between Trev's wings on a flamed stone, basking in the heat and comfort. But now, Trev seemed just as excited about their prospects on Berk as Ayla did, if not more.

"Alright. But you know how I don't like to be cold." Ayla said, wrapping her arms tighter around herself and retreating into the cave, though it's stone walls offered little warmth, but simple protection from the wind was enough.

Trev chuffed. He wanted to leave now. With a melodramatic groan, Ayla obliged and grabbed her pack. She picked up the two pieces of parchment, and after looking at them for a moment, slid them in. She wanted to study the second one more.

Trev stepped off the ledge, aiming into the winds. He was a strong flier, but he was struggling against the flows and currents of the icy breeze. Rolling grey clouds were brought on the winds, covering the sky so it was impossible to tell if the sun was at the midpoint in the sky or if it was only dawn.

The flight was rocky and long, but Trev didn't complain. Neither did Ayla. She clung to him and shut her eyes to the cold. It was an old suppressed memory of why she hated the cold. One she had no interest in remembering. Ever again.

Toothless was waiting when they reached the clearing. He looked eager, but not in the same way he usually was. He greeted them with concerned warbles and a firm nosing. After they passed his inspection, he took a step back and sat down firmly.

Aya yawned, feeling slightly refreshed as the freezing air made its way into her chest, chilling her from the inside out. The refreshment was short lived and she was left feeling just plain cold.

Trev and Toothless were already started in on today's lesson. She was clueless as to what it was but enjoyed watching them anyway. Toothless's eyes always shone with a slight pride whenever Trev master a particularly difficult word or phrase. He looked like a father Nadder teaching his youth to fish, singing quiet encouragement and showing them how to do it correctly. All in all, it was very heartwarming and led Ayla to the inevitable question. Did Toothless ever have any youths?

She considered it for a moment. He was of an adult age and maturity, but he had no female. Perhaps because he could not find one. It was a sad thought. Ayla knew that he would be a wonderful father. Patient and kind.

She remembered her own harsh upbringing. Just her and Trev, since they were very young. No parents. Well, at least none that wanted them.

Shaking her head, she dispelled the memory and forced it back to the recesses of her mind where it should forever stay. Something about the springtime always got her reminiscing about her youth.

It sure didn't feel like springtime now though. Shivering beneath her vest and tunic, Ayla pushed into the woods a little ways to find some wood to burn. She needed some sort of warmth. Her frail human fingers were already fading from the bright pink fleshy color to a pale tone, hints of blue edging on at the tips.

It was starting to snow as Ayla dumped the first bundle of sticks and twigs in the clearing. She also could no longer feel her toes. Or her hands. Or her nose or ears. Her eyes felt impossibly dry and she had to keep blinking or they felt as if they were going to freeze over.

After arranging the kindling and break a few larger branches over her knee, Ayla stood up and wiped her nose with the back of her hand. That was something that never ceased to irritate her, a dripping nose. She cleared her throat to gain Trev's attention. He didn't look up. With a sigh, Ayla walked on stiff legs to the two Night Furies. She made another noise, right beside them, this time successfully.

She nodded to the stack of wood and Trev groaned as he stood. His wings were clamped tightly to his sides and his eyes narrowed against the wind. Toothless was fasted than Trev, darting to the pile and exhaling a small blue flame. The twigs leapt to life under an orange flame and crackled loudly in the still air. Trev stared at Toothless, who stepped back with a satisfied look and a gummy smile. Ayla laughed and he swished his tail, walking over to her and guiding her to the smoking warmth.

"_Be right back." _Trev said, looking intently at something beyond Ayla before leaping shrubbery in an elegant athletic bound and dashing away.

"Don't go too far." Ayla warned.

Toothless watched him disappear before settling down beside Ayla. She tugged at one of his folded wings to cover herself. He resisted, curiously warbling.

"Look at me." She complained, looking up at him. "I'm freezing." He looked intently into her eyes before making a crooning sound and gathering her to his side. She relished in the warmth there. She leaned her head into his side and listened to the steady thumping of his heartbeat. It was faster than Trev's usually was. He also smelled different than Trev, in subtle ways, but also in big ways that she could pick up with her weakened sense of smell. Whereas Trev had a wild scent, one of the sky and the clouds and the sea, Toothless smelled of comfort and suppressed memories. Like leather and ash and cooked fish.

Ayla revealed in the smell when Toothless started to, well, purr. It was something that Ayla had never experienced. It was not a sound that she personally had ever made, nor had Trev. It started deep in his chest, lower than his throat, surging upwards in a silent vibration. It was less of a sound, more a feeling. It shook her head, making it buzz, but in a pleasant way. He purred a long time before stopping to take a breath. It distracted Ayla from the cloudiness she felt in Trev's absence, so much so she didn't even notice it.

She looked out at the fire, the only thing she could see between the crack of Toothless wing and his body. It glowed and dancing in the wind's unforgiving hands, a constant mass of flickering tongues and whispering wood. It crackled and hissed, dispelling any dampness from the wood with irritated noises. Ayla found she wanted nothing more in the moment. She was content and warm. Sleepy from the presence of Toothless's purring.

For a brief moment she wondered if this was something that Toothless ever did for that human boy, Hiccup. No, she thought. It just didn't seem like the kind of connection they had with each other. Before Ayla could wonder what that meant for why Toothless was giving her this treatment, Trev came crashing back towards them.

On the opposite side of the clearing from where he had disappeared, the bushes parted and gave way for the massive black shape to come into view. The snow was falling steadily now, whipping and whirling, obscuring everything. Softening edges and making lines less harsh.

Trev froze and gave a questioning warble. Toothless shifted to reveal Ayla beneath his wing. Trev made a noise, and odd sound that sounded meaningless. He stepped over to them, his paws leaving imprints on the snow that was already accumulating.

He dropped something in front of Ayla. Something bloody and fuzzy. A rabbit. It's head shot clean off.

"Hmm. Nice." Ayla emerged from the comforting little world beneath Toothless's wing. He didn't protest her departure.

Ayla procured her blade from her pack and skinned the rabbit, taking care to save the fur. It could make a hat. Or something. She wasn't very good and crafting clothing.

She gave the hide a rough scrapping and tucked it into the pack, which she swung over her shoulder to avoid getting any more blood on it. The snow was already stained crimson. She then gutted the small creature and feed the entrails to Toothless. He didn't really seem to care for them though. Ayla figured he only swallowed them down because she had offered them to him. She wouldn't have been offended if he turned his nose up at them. She set a single leg to roast over the fire and gave the rest to Trev.

"I need to go rise off my hands." She announced, rising up to her feet stiffly and heading towards the stream that ran not far from the clearing. She knew the water would be frigid, but it was a better option than letting the blood freeze to her skin.

Trev trailed her because, well, he sort of had to. Toothless also followed along, surprising both Trev and Ayla. The path through the woods was obscured by the blinding snow. Ayla fumbled along on cold feet, knowing she looked like a fool. It didn't really matter though. If Toothless made fun of her, she couldn't understand it with these ears and Trev knew better than to. She would get him back for it later.

Upon reaching the stream, Ayla looked at its overflowing banks. The snow melt from the big mountain on Berk fed into it, filling it to bursting. The rocks around the raging water were coated in ice and slushy snow. Ayla frowned.

She gently eased down beside it and reached her hands towards it. The water was colder than she expected and she gasped. Trev hummed and jumped forward, thinking something was wrong.

"I'm fine- Ah!" Ayla yelped as Trev lost his footing and slipped, ramming into Ayla's back. Her feet slid out from under her and she tried to reach out and grab at something, but her hands only found empty air. With a shriek, she plummeted into the water, the strong current immediately pulling her under.

Cold.

Dark.

Ayla floundered through the water with no sense of direction. Up, towards the air and the promise of life could be any direction. She didn't fight the water. The cold was paralyzing and her limbs went unresponsive. She scraped against the stream bed, rocks and old branches and frozen mud. Her head hit a rock and everything got blacker, if that was possible.

Only, her mind didn't.

The cold or the water or her chest screaming for air weren't the scariest things.

_Suddenly she was a child again. No. Not a child. Barely more than a baby. When it all started. Her mother, yes, her mother! Standing on the edge of something. Water roared all around them and the woman held Ayla so close, kissing the top of her hair and murmuring to her._

"_I don't want this. Just know that. If I don't do this, they will do worse things to you. This is for your own good." The woman set her down on the ground and stuffed rocks into her clothes. Ayla cried out when the cool stone touched her tender skin._

"_Shh, baby. It won't last long."_

_Ayla couldn't see the woman's face. But her expression. Hollow eyes, taught lips, tear stained cheeks, loomed right above her. She was wrapped in her arms again, rocking back and forth as the roar of the water got louder. _

"_I don't want this. It's all for you. I don't want this. It's all for you." She repeated the words like a mantra, like a prayer. _

"_Gentle now, baby." Her voice shook. "Easy now, baby." Ayla could see clearly now. A vast flowing river. Chunks of ice and snow floated on the surface, racing by on the current. _

_Something was wrong. She reached for her mother, but her mother let her go. Let her go into the cold water._

**Author's Note_**

**It has been a hot minute since I updated this story. Sorry 'bout that. I've really sort of lost steam in writing WTC, and that coupled with little interest from readers... well, you know how it goes. I do have several more chapters written however, so I will post all that I have written. After that, the future is unclear. So, if you want to see more of this story, please do let me know. **

**Stay healthy and safe!**

**-Birch66724**


	13. Welcome In

The wind whistled through chinks in the log walls and the icy snow battered at the roof and the windows. Hiccup didn't even need to look outside to know that the snow was piling up in mountains on every surface.

His father had chosen to stay in the Great Hall during the storm, saying something about how it was his '_chiefy duty'. _That left Hiccup alone in the house, sitting in front of the fireplace and conditioning the leather straps of Toothless's saddle. They were worn and stiff with salt. He rubbed that the pieces with an old cloth until he thought he could die of boredom.

With a heavy sigh, he let the saddle fall to the floor and stood up, stretching his aching back. His eyes felt heavy, but sleep would not come. There was a prickle on the back of his neck, a nagging worry about Toothless. The black dragon had yet to make an appearance. Hiccup knew the Night Fury really didn't need his concern, but that didn't stop it from coming.

He picked up a log from beside the stone ledge, peeling little bits of bark from it and tossing them into the fire. He thoughts wandered to Astrid, cooped up with her parents. He wondered if her father would press her about marriage again. His face felt hot at the realization that his name was sure to come up in that conversation. He pitched the whole log in, sending up a flare of bright sparks.

Then came a knock at the door. Or rather a pounding slam. At first, Hiccup wasn't sure he had heard anything at all, thinking it might have just been a branch falling on the roof or a crate tipping over, but then it came again, accompanied by a loud bellow.

Hiccup edged around his father's grand chair and hurried to the door, turning the handle. The wind threw it wide open and ushered in a gust of freezing air and snow. Two immense black shapes stood in the swirling whiteout.

"Toothless!" Hiccup cried, pleased at the sight of his friend. He stepped to the side to allow him to enter. There was enough room for the Night Fury in the house. As long as Stoick was out.

To Hiccup's surprise, Toothless stepped aside and hummed at the figure behind him. It was a second Night Fury, all hunched up and waddling on his back legs, his wings wrapped like a cocoon around himself. His brown eyes stood out against the white and he looked wary.

"Is that, Trev?" Hiccup squinted, wanting to close the door and trap the cold outside, but he knew he couldn't rush the skittish dragon. Maybe he needed help. Or Ayla needed help.

"Come on boy." Hiccup made a welcoming motion and stepped even further into the house. Trev lumbered forward, clearly cradling something beneath the folds of his wings. Hiccup felt a sinking feeling in his stomach. There was only one thing that could be.

Trev squeezed his wide shoulders through the door way and looked around, his ears flicking and his nose twitching. Toothless grumbled something and nosed Trev farther inside, following afterwards and shutting the door with his tail. Trev jumped at the sound.

"Is that, is that Ayla?" Hiccup asked. Trev's eyes whipped to him and he nodded. Hiccup looked in surprise. _No way he nodded. _He thought, dismissing the possibility.

He moved into the living area and pushed back the gathered chairs to make room enough for Trev to lay down his bundle on the woven rug in front of the fire. He did so precariously, laying himself down, facing the fire, before folding his wings back to his sides.

Hiccup notice for the first time that both dragons were covered in a thick layer of frost and ice. More than would have been on their scales from simple walking in the blizzard. He took a deep breath and crossed in front of the fire to see Trev's bundle.

It was Ayla. It was Hiccup's first time seeing her without her helmet on. There was a gash on her forehead that had dried, no, had frozen blood on it, her eyes were closed, covered by nearly translucent eyelids, her whole face was tinged blue, especially her lips. Hiccup eyes traveled to her hair. The twin braids were frozen stiff with ice, as were her clothes.

"Oh Thor." Hiccup exhaled and glanced at Toothless, who had stuffed himself into the remaining space in the house.

Ayla looked impossibly tiny and frail, cradled in the arms of a Night Fury. Her hands were drawn up to her chest, likely frozen in place judging by the rest of her body. She had clearly fallen into the water somehow.

"We need to get her warmed up." Hiccup breathed, taking a step towards Trev and Ayla. Trev growled and glared at Hiccup. His long scar down his face made him look absolutely menacing and Hiccup felt himself shiver, despite the fact Trev had made no hostile actions toward him.

"You have to let me help her." he said quietly, crouching down and holding his hand out to Trev. The dragon glanced at it once, ignoring it and returning his intense gaze to Hiccup's face. "You brought her here for help, so let me help." He pleaded.

Trev relaxed ever so slightly after several moments, gently leaning down to nudge Ayla away from his chest with gentle croons. Her stiff body slid from his arms and made a dull thud on the floor. For a sickening second, Hiccup thought she was already dead.

Then she moved, ever so slightly, turning her head and groaning. Hiccup was just as frozen as she was in that moment. He had no idea what to do! Should he talk to her, or would that only freak her out?

He did know that he needed to get her out of her wet clothes and warmed up. _Oh Gods, I can't undress her! _Hiccup thought, starting to panic. He was sweating despite the frigid temperature in the room.

"I need Astrid." He said, standing and looking to Toothless, who was watching with quiet interest.

"Toothless! Go get Astrid, please bud!" Hiccup begged the dragon. Toothless looked to Trev, who growled at him, then cocked his head, as if in thought. Then he warbled and hurried to the door, waiting for Hiccup to open it and let him out. Somehow, Toothless seemed to understand the request. He hurried off into the snow in the general direction of Astrid's home.

Slamming the door, Hiccup turned back to Trev. The ice crusted on his body was starting to melt from the heat of the fire. The sheet was glistening and cracking, dripping off and creating tiny wet stains on the rug. The dragon paid no heed to his own condition, instead he continued to hum to and lick Ayla, who was moving around a bit more now.

Hiccup threw a few more logs in the fire, coaxing the flame up higher. He took a fish from the basket by the door and offered it to Trev, but he didn't even seem to notice. Hiccup paced around then, feeling useless. There had to be something he could do! He took the cast iron pot, filled it with water and set it over the fire. He didn't have a purpose for the water, but anything hot seemed like it would be useful in bringing Ayla back from the brink death. Maybe Astrid would have a use for it. He hoped and prayed.

Hiccup crouched beside Ayla, close enough to hear her raspy breaths. Trev lifted his lips, exposing a row of deadly teeth when Hiccup reached out to touch her, but didn't growl or make a move to bite him.

There were straps over her shoulders, presumably a bag or satchel of some sort, but the rest was hidden under her as she lay on the floor. Hiccup pried the frozen material from her vest and slide the traps over her arms the the crispy sounds of ice. Trev was breathing down his neck the entire time, making his palms sweat enough to keep his hands from becoming icicles himself.

The door whipped open again, causing Trev to jump and then Hiccup in turn.

"Hiccup?" Astrid breathless voice echoed through the house. She sounded scared. "Hicc-"

"I'm here!" He jumped to his feet, abandoning for the moment his task of removing Ayla's pack.

"Hiccup Haddock!" Astrid slammed the door shut after Toothless squeezed inside. "Sending Toothless in a frenzy after me like that! I thought something had happened to you and-" She stopped short when she grabbed Hiccup in an embrace, now seeing the second Night Fury sprawled on the floor. Ayla was hidden from her view for the time being behind Trev's bulk.

"My.." She said, holding Hiccup in the hug so he could turn around. "This must be… Trev?"

"Yes, I needed you, Astrid." Hiccup started to explain.

"Of course you did. He is gorgeous! Where is the girl?"

"That's why I need you. There was, an accident, of sorts." Hiccup started, Astrid gripped his shoulders and pushed him back to arm's length so she could see him. Her expression portrayed her confusion and concern.

Hiccup took one of her hands from his shoulder and slowly leading over to the fire place. She gasped when she saw the frozen pile of cloth and flesh that was Ayla.

"What in Thor." She mused, dropping Hiccup's hand and crouching down. Trev followed her with his eyes that same way he had done for Hiccup.

"The two of them showed up with her, and I-" Hiccup rubbed his hands together, hoping Astrid would get where this was going.

"Of course. Of course you were too, too…" She gestured her hand in the air, trying for the word. "Modest! Yes, modest. To cut this poor girl's clothes off her." She gave a humorless chuckle.

Astrid pulled Ayla closer towards her and Trev didn't object, much to Hiccup's surprise. He stepped out as Astrid pulled the frozen clothes for Ayla and dropped them into the pot over the fire. He retreated to the frigid upstairs to find something for her to put on. He dug through an old truck until he came up with a pair of too small trousers and an old light red tunic. It would have to do. They smelled of the cedar box they were kept in and were wrinkled with several year old creases.

He stepped carefully back down the stairs and turned his head away as he held the clothes out to Astrid, which was much to her amusement.

"Get me something to put on her head wound." Astrid said. Hiccup nodded and found an old white cloth and a binding, as well as some salve in the cabinet. He handed those to Astrid as well and watched as she skillfully wrapped the wound as Ayla was now dressed in his old clothes.

Trev was still melting and dripping onto the rug and looked to be laying in a rather uncomfortable position, but he refused to move even an inch more away from Ayla.

"There we go." Astrid rocked back on her heels in satisfaction and Trev hummed something that seemed like a thank you. He stood and shook himself, sending droplets of water throughout the room.

"Oh, that's great." Hiccup muttered, running the back of his hand across his face to wipe off the water. Trev huffed and lay back down, gently drawing the still unconscious Ayla to his chest and covering her back up.

"She should be fine…" Astrid said.

"Thank you. For coming, I mean."

"Of course." She said and slouched into him. "My parents weren't too happy about it though." She exhaled.

"Storm's probably too dangerous now anyway, better stay here." He said with mock smugness.

Astrid made an amused noise. "Don't push it." She turned back to attend to Ayla's soaking clothes. Hiccup watched her work with a fond appreciation. He had no idea what he would have done if not for Astrid.

**xX Wings That Change Xx**

The cold was gone when Ayla awoke with a start. The image of the forlorn woman's face and the sound of her voice still rang in her mind.

Her head was throbbing as she blinked open her eyes into inky blackness. She was warm and comfortable, surrounded by the familiar smell of wind and sky. Trev had her. Of course he did. She struggled to remember what was then and what was now.

Then, she was a small child, now she was…. How old was she? Then she had been tossed into a river, now, she had… How had she fallen in?

Groggily, she pushed upwards with her hands, finding the black shroud she was covered in gave way at her pressure. Scales shifted around her and a blinding light trickled in.

"Gah!" She made a noise, moving to cover her eyes. Her face was met with rough fabric that smelled foreign. It was not her tunic, that much she knew. Passing her hands down her body, she was lacking her under bindings, and wearing another's pants. Panicked then, she struggled in Trev's embrace, ignoring the pulsing throb in her head.

"_Shh, Ayla!" _Trev's insistent tone broke through. "_You're alright! I've got you." _The voice in her head was accompanied by a croon from her ears. He soothed her quietly.

"Where are we? What is-" She spoke before Trev silenced her with the dull side of a claw laid across her lips. She didn't appreciate the treatment, but felt it best not to argue him at the moment.

"_Keep quiet, unless you want them to know you're awake."_

"Who?" Ayla asked before remembering Trev's request.

"_Hiccup and Astrid. And Toothless too."_

"_Astrid?" _Ayla lay still and closed her eyes to talk to Trev. It made her head ache stronger, but they both needed to speak to each other.

"_Are you alright? Are you feeling okay?" _Trev didn't answer her question.

"_Yes, I'm fine. Who is Astrid?" _Ayla asked again.

"_Hiccup's ...friend. Anyways, are you sure? You were out for a long time."_

"_Yes I'm sure!" _Ayla snapped, but she was sure her irritation didn't come across. "_Where are we?"_

"_Hiccup's house."_

"_In his house?" _Ayla was alarmed. "_What?"_

"_Well, you remember what happened? Right? You do?"_

"_Yes." _Ayla lied. She knew enough, just didn't quite have the details sorted out.

"_Well, we pulled you out of the water, and it was snowing so hard and so cold and you, you weren't waking up. So, Toothless made like I was to follow him, and I, I didn't know what else to do!"_

"_No! It's fine! I'm so sorry Trev." _Ayla reached out. She wanted to hug him and thank him, but he sounded so scared and so relieved.

"_Don't apologize! I'm the one who pushed you in!" _He was growling to himself.

"_It was a mistake!" _Ayla said. She hadn't remembered that part.

"_Still."_

"_Just, thank you. You saved me."_

"_Well…"_

"_Well what?"_

"_That was more Toothless than me." _He admitted, shifting his back legs.

"_That doesn't matter." _Ayla said, but she was somewhat impressed by the news. The dragon she had met just a few days before had risked his life to save her. Before she could explore the thought any further, someone interrupted them.

"Ayla, is that you?" She recognized Hiccup's voice.

She nodded to Trev and he slowly folded back his wings, revealing her to the world. She sat up, rocking backwards when the pressure in her head surged and her vision became dotted with black, but recovered in a second.

"Welcome to my home." He said, offering a small smile. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Yes." She said hoarsely, looking around. Directly in front of her was a crackling fire, built in a stone recess. It seemed to be a designated place for fire. Warmth radiated off it, filling the space with heat and a smoky scent. Beside the fireplace was a stack of wood, some metal tools and a pot. Laying on the stone in front was her pack and her clothes, along with the two sheet of parchment. The drawing of her and Trev and the one with the mysterious symbols. She reached out for them, fearing they water had destroyed the delicate charcoal lines. It had. The parchment had dried to a stiff crisp sheet and the lines were smudged into an unrecognizable blob.

She made a small sound of disappointment and ran her hand along the ragged edge of the paper. Now she would never have the chance to decipher the meaning of the page.

"Did you have a chance to read that before it was destroyed?" Hiccup asked. He had clearly been watching her, studying her reactions.

Ayla turned over her shoulder and looked at him. "Read?"

His earnest expression turned confused. "Yeah, the letter I wrote. I know it was a lot of questions…"

"I uh…" Ayla didn't quite knew what he meant. It had been a drawing of questions? No wonder she hadn't been able to figure it out.

"Hiccup." A female voice said. Ayla's eyes snapped to the source. A girl, young woman rather, around her own age, sat on the edge of a chair, her blue eyes watching them, her long blond hair braided back. She was pretty in Ayla's eyes, as compared to most of the women in the villages she had observed over the years.

Hiccup turned to look at her, his brown hair taking on more of an auburn color in the firelight. Astrid made a face and shook her head. Hiccup paused a moment before turning back to Ayla. She was looking at him when he did.

"You, you must not know how to read." He said, looking sad, as if knowing to read was essential to one's well being. Ayla didn't think she had ever heard the word before.

She slowly shook her head, eyes trailing back up to Astrid as she stood and slowly walked over. Trev watched her also, observing as she knelt on the ground beside Hiccup.

"I'm Astrid." She held a hand out to Ayla. Ayla stared at it. Astrid slowly retracted her hand and made a tight lipped expression. "Uh, can I get you anything?" She patted the tops of her thighs, making Trev jump.

"I'm Ayla. And no."

"Okay…"

"Whose clothes are these?" She asked then.

"Mine. My old ones." Hiccup offered.

"Thank you." Ayla murmured, fingering the hem of one of the shirts.

"Uh, just so you know, I didn't um, I didn't _undress _you or anything. I was, uh, I was out of the room." Hiccup said quickly, his face turning a bright red.

Ayla gave him a puzzled expression.

Astrid scoffed and rolled her eyes, patting Hiccup on the shoulders.

"He didn't see you _naked_." Astrid taunted him, saying the last word right in his face. Hiccup made an indignant noise.

"Go on, say it! It's a scary word, isn't it Hiccup?" She teased further. Ayla found her lips turning up in a slight smile. This had to be the first time someone other than Trev had made her smile.

Hiccup playfully shoved at Astrid and scrambled to get away. His motion made a harsh scrape on the wood floor. Ayla looked for the source of the sound, and found it coming from where Hiccup's foot should be. Instead of the foot, there was an odd metal thing there. Ayla remembered it from their first meeting. Was that really only yesterday?

She couldn't help herself. Now that Hiccup had come to a halt, she reached out a tentative hand and touched it. Hiccup and Astrid both watched her trace her fingers along the metal. It was smooth and the only thing Ayla had seen like it were the blade of her dagger. She hadn't known how someone had made a rock so smooth and into the perfect shape.

"You know how I lost my leg?" Hiccup asked lightly. Ayla snatched her hand back and looked at her lap. She wasn't quite sure how to act around these humans.

"Toothless bit it clean off." Hiccup said. That got Ayla's eyes to snap right up. "Right, bud?" Hiccup called across the room. Near the door a black head popped up and warbled at the boy. Hiccup chuckled.

"He did it to save me though, not to hurt me." He paused. It felt as if he was waiting for Ayla to say something, so she did.

"Why?" It seemed like an appropriate, simple question.

Hiccup seemed delighted that she had asked. He shared a small smile with Astrid and she flashed one back, sharing it with Ayla. Ayla didn't feel she had a reason to smile, so she didn't.

"Well, it was a long time ago, 3 years I think now…" Hiccup launched into a fantastical tale of how he and Toothless had saved all of the people of Berk by defeating the giant dragon in the mountain, which he called the Red Death. He told of how he had shot Toothless, which was how he lost the fin on his tail, bonded with him, fought a Nightmare and saved the fleet of ships. Then the fabric tail Hiccup had made caught fire and they were both doomed. Toothless had grabbed Hiccup by the leg when he was falling into the flames and saved his life and the cost of the lower half of his leg.

Ayla was enraptured by the tale. She wasn't even sure if she believed it, but Astrid was nodding along all the while, rolling her eyes with a smile when Hiccup started gesturing with his hands and talking excitedly. Ayla watched Astrid for a time while she listened. She seemed rather fond of Hiccup, her looks always warm and deep, firelight flickering in her eyes. Ayla decided that she liked Astrid. She was humorous and seemed quite nice.

When Hiccup was finished, he layed back and pointed to his metal appendage. "And that's how I got this."

Then Ayla smiled. "That was quite the tale." She said. Some parts had her confused, especially when Hiccup started telling the names of various other people, but she had felt it rude to interrupt while he was talking, so she had kept quiet.

"So, do you have anything like that?" Hiccup asked her, folding his hands over one of his knees.

"Not anything like _that_." She said and Astrid laughed. She hadn't intended it as a joke, but it felt good to her Astrid's methodical laugh from something she had said.

"Well, maybe start with where you came from?" Astrid suggested.

Ayla swallowed stiffly. Of course she had thought about the stories she would make up about why she had left home and that, but she had never practiced telling them to anybody. Hiccup and Astrid's gazes were intent and interested and she didn't know what to say.

"I- I was very young when I left it." She offered. It was the truth.

"Huh." Ayla saw the look Astrid gave Hiccup as he was about to ask another question.

"Okay, something I really want to know is how you possibly befriended a Night Fury. I thought the only person dumb enough to do that was Hiccup." Astrid said. It sounded almost like an insult to Ayla, but the two human's laughing faces told her otherwise. It was only another joke.

"Well…" Ayla turned to Trev.

"_Should I tell them the real story?" _She asked him.

"_A version of it." _He replied cautiously. He had been quietly listening by her side the whole time.

"You may not believe me, but I find your story hard to believe too, but when Trev and I bonded, he pulled me out of a river then as well." She said.

"So that's why you showed up here frozen solid? You fell into the river?" Hiccup interjected.

"Yes."

"Oh Thor." Hiccup rubbed his forehead. "Go on, though." He motioned to her.

"Well, I was very young. I could not have survived on my own. He saved me, and he provided for me, and he raised me like I was his own youth." She turned a look to Trev, where he was watching her with an intent look.

"That's, incredible! I always knew Night Furies were different. They seem to care more than other dragons, like, actually care." Hiccup was nodding enthusiastically.

"It seems the only way to bond with a Night Fury is to have one save your life." Astrid chuckled.

"_Little does she know." _Trev said to Ayla. She slapped her hand on his front leg. It was all she could reach as he sat behind her, towing over her seated frame.

"We've been together since. Forgive me if I act, a bit awkward, I think that's the word… I haven't been around humans much lately."

"Forgiven! But you're doing great." Astrid assured her.

Hiccup cleared his throat and looked slightly nervous as he asked, "I don't want to seem rude, but I need to ask… What are you doing here on Berk?"

**An_**

**Sorry about the scarce updates, but thanks for reading anyway!**

**-Birch66724**


	14. Questions and Some Answers

Hiccup awaited Ayla's response with baited breath. He hadn't known how to ask the question, so had just done so abruptly.

"What am I doing on Berk?" Ayla repeated thoughtfully, smoothing out a crease in her pants. His pants. His old pants that she was wearing as her's dried before the fire.

There was so much Hiccup needed to ask Ayla, and now that he learned she hadn't read his letter or questions...because she couldn't read. It was startling news, but he didn't know why he was surprised. It was fairly common that people didn't know how to read and write, just most of Berk's people did.

"Well, to put it simply, I came to find him." Ayla said, nodding her head towards Toothless, who was perched behind the row of chairs, watching with intent green eyes.

"Why?" Hiccup asked. He felt like it would make his father proud, the intensity of which he was interrogating Ayla. It was something a chief should do, to ensure his people were not in danger. But it felt wrong. No matter how much Hiccup wanted the know the answers, both for himself and for the good of the Berkian people, it wasn't in his nature to rudely demand Ayla to speak. If she wanted to she would, and she was. Hiccup took it as a good sign.

Though, after his asking of why, Ayla didn't respond right away. Instead, she got a distant look in her eyes and froze. Hiccup glanced at Astrid, who had also noticed. She just offered a shrug and shook her head slightly.

"Ayla?" Hiccup said gently, leaning forward. Trev made a noise and nudged Ayla with his paw. She inhaled sharply and blinked her eyes. Hiccup quickly leaned back. The fire crackled loudly and the wind made something bang outside.

"Sorry!" She said quickly. "I was just… thinking." She said, looking at the floor. Another long pause fell over the room before she started to speak again.

"We came looking for Berk, because we had heard a rumor that there was a captive Night Fury here." She said.

"Captive?" Hiccup asked indignantly. "None of our dragons are captive!" Astrid put a firm hand on his arm. He hadn't realized he was rising from his seat on the ground until she did. Ayla just watched with a calm expression. Her face was gentle, Hiccup could see now that she was no longer covered by the leather helmet. Her nose was small and elegantly rounded at the end, her lips no longer blue and her eyes… they weren't blue either. Her irises seemed almost void of color. Grey and translucent almost, like a rainy sky reflected off a deep pool. She had a smattering of freckles across her nose and dark eyelashes, contrasting her light eyes.

"Of course not." She said, though there was a hint of skepticism that irritated Hiccup slightly.

"None of them are." He said again.

She asked, "What do you do to make him fly with you?"

"Toothless's left tailfin is gone, thanks to me, so I made him a new one from fabric, and it had rods that open and close so that it can have different amounts of surface area so he can control himself in the air." Hiccup gestured with his hands while he talked, making the motions of the tail.

"It is all connected to a pedal that is on a saddle where I sit. I control it with my foot." He finished the brief explanation.

Ayla nodded. She looked thoughtful for a long time, as if considering what to say next. She didn't look nearly as uncomfortable as Hiccup would have thought her to be, in a strange man's house, after how she acted meeting him the last time.

"I think that makes him captive." She said gently, not challenging, but observing. "If he cannot fly, he is not free."

"He _can _fly."

She only nodded. Somehow she had twisted the situation to make Hiccup feel like the one being questioned. She was within her rights to ask these things, but they way she did it was...odd.

"So Ayla," Astrid broke in with a light tone, sensing the weird mood in the room. "How old are you?"

"I think about 20 season cycles." She said.

"Season cycles?" Astrid asked with a raised brow.

Ayla narrowed her eyes. "Yes? Twenty times I lived through all of the seasons."

Hiccup stayed out of this part of the conversation. He let Astrid do the talking and just observed Ayla's reactions.

"Oh! We call those years."

"Years…" She said. "And you, how many _years _do you have?"

"I'm 18. And Hiccup is 19."

Ayla looked back and forth between them before giving a satisfied nod.

"Do you have a dragon that you fly too, Astrid?" Ayla said Astrid's name with a little flourish on the end. She had an accent, different from a Viking one. It was lighter and had short vowels, rather than the long ones people from Berk spoke.

"Yes! I'm glad you asked, I could go one for a long time talking about her!" Both girls smiled. Hiccup smiled at them smiling. Astrid launched into a detailed description about Stormfly and Hiccup tuned it out, wondering how Ayla was about to change their lives. Her presence felt profound, like something was never going to be quite the same. He was glad for her arrival, and the fact that she seemed to be making fast friends with Astrid, who was somewhat deprived of female friends. There was Ruffnut… but there was sometimes question about whether she was a female or not.

With her, she brought Trev, who was already changing Toothless's life, and therefor Hiccup's. But now that she was here, in Berk, in his house much less, perhaps she would be more willing to stay close by, keeping Toothless within easy access of Hiccup.

Then there was the whole matter of the boat she and Trev had destroyed. Some of the fishermen where still riled up about that and they would be none too happy to see her around with Trev. It could all be sorted out though. The boat was salvageable, although repairs had been postponed for the storm.

But Ayla had never really said what they had come for. Just that they heard about Toothless's presence on the island, but nothing more. She clearly had something more in mind but hadn't said. He wanted to ask, but didn't want to interrupt, so he stood up and walked into the kitchen. Trev watched him all the while.

Hiccup hadn't known that Night Furies could have different colored eyes, but then again, he had never seen any other one except for Toothless. It was slightly unsettling to seeing the deep brown orbs that tracked his movements from a familiar face where there had only ever been green.

He tried to ignore it as he started to prepare some stew. He wasn't the best cook Berk had to offer, but Astrid wasn't much better and she was currently occupied. He glanced up occasionally from chopping potatoes and filleting cod to see Trev, still watching. He thought of another question that hadn't been on his original list. Where had Trev gotten that scar from?

It ran in such a uniform line that it was hard to imagine it came from anything but a sword, right between his eyes. It was raised and lighter grey, like the healed wound on Toothless's tail. It showed the cruelty of humans who didn't know, perhaps not by their own faults, that dragons could be wonderful creatures that brought light and happiness and joy. Creatures that would risk themselves to save someone they loved, even if that someone was human.

Trev blinked and looked away, rumbling something to Toothless, who laughed in the dragon way, with short huffs of breath and low rumbles.

It almost seemed like they were talking to one another. _No, that can't be. _Hiccup thought, but as Toothless made a whining sound in return and Trev started to laugh, he couldn't see any other explanation. _That adds another question to my list for Ayla. Oh Thor I'm going to scare her right off._

Just then, a cheerful sound of the two young women laughing from beside the fireplace drew Hiccup out of his thoughts, back to the knife in one hand and the onion in the other.

"Ayla!" Astrid said as she took a deep breath, then giggled again. It was a sound that Hiccup had only heard a few times from the tough blond Viking. A sound that echoed throughout the home and brought notions of a simpler time, filled with childhood memories and giddy pleasures.

"What's so funny about that question?" Ayla said, her voice hinting of her own amusement.

"Most people just don't outright ask something like that." Astrid explained, winding down. Hiccup couldn't see them from the kitchen, but he didn't want to move so he had a view, as not to startle them from stopping the conversation. He was curious now to what Ayla had asked.

"Oh… Forgive me." Ayla said, quietly enough that Hiccup had to strain to hear it.

"It's no problem. But to answer the question…. Yes and no."

"Yes and no? I don't understand."

"It's...more complicated than one word. In a way, yes, but I'm not quite sure he really knows what he wants." Astrid's voice had returned to her typical, authoritative tone. Hiccup still wasn't sure what the topic of the discussion was, but something prickled on the back of his neck, as if hinting that the _he, _was himself. It was a repeat of Astrid's earlier conversation with Gobber the day before!

"I'll let you have your secrets." Ayla said decisively. "I don't like to pry." Hiccup winced at the words. All he wanted to do was pry into Ayla's life.

"That's a good thing. I think we're all entitled to our own secrets." Astrid breezily replied.

"I sure hope so." Ayla's tone was...wistful, in a word.

"C'mon, Hiccup's stop banging around the kitchen, I wonder if something's gone wrong." Astrid joked.

Hiccup hurried to look busy as the two girls came around the bulk of Trev, who had been less-than-conveniently hiding them from view. He placed the onion on the table and sliced it down the middle, releasing the pungent scent into the air.

Ayla's nose instantly wrinkled, her face contorting into a look of disgusted confusion. "By the lightning, what is that?"

"By the lightning? I've never heard that one before." Astrid said, at the same time Hiccup said,

"An onion."

"A what-yun?"

"_Onion." _He said again. "It's a vegetable… I think." He held out one half to her, which she sniffed and then ran her finger along the wet cut side.

"Hmm." She made a noise of distaste before gently setting the half back on the table, as if she would break it.

"By the lightning? I have to ask what that means?" Astrid said, passing behind Hiccup in the kitchen, tantalizingly close.

"To speak my truth, I don't know. Trev would be able to-" She abruptly stopped, garnering looks from both young adults. Hiccup cocked a brow at her odd choice of words.

Trev quickly turned around from his seat on the rug with a bark and came up behind Ayla, knocking over a chair in the process. The loud crack of wood on wood resonated throughout the house. The chair bounced once on the paneled floor before stilling.

Ayla made a sound and slipped around Trev and righted it. Returning to the table, she looked almost stricken, her eyebrows drawn and her gaze downcast.

Hiccup looked to Astrid for an explanation, but she had already busied herself working the water pump in the corner, as if to escape the awkward feeling that had encompassed the room herself.

"It doesn't matter. We have our own collection of weird phrases too, right Astrid?"

"Yes, yes we do." She said, hauling the pot filled with water to the table.

"Ayla, I think you're in for a treat. You've never had the famous Haddock stew." Hiccup said in an obvious attempt to ease the tension.

Astrid scoffed and Ayla looked up from behind dark lashes. Her grey eyes looked more vast and wider than the sea in that moment. Hiccup blinked and tore his gaze away.

"Stew...stew." Ayla repeated the word, trying to place it. "Is that, that's the stuff in the pot, with the sauce!" She exclaimed, as if impressed by her knowledge of the dish.

"Yes." Astrid answered mildly. Hiccup was perplexed by the way she seemed indifferent to Ayla's odd behavior.

"It really isn't that good." Astrid said smugly, scooping up the fish and potatoes and onion and plopping it all unceremoniously into the pot.

"Hmm." Was Ayla's reply. She watched Astrid add sheep's bones and spices traded with Johann into the pot, her eyes just as intense and animalistic as Trev's.

Hiccup was distracted by another round of exchanges between Toothless and Trev. Now seemed as good a time as any to start scratching questions off his list.

"Do they, do they talk to each other?" He asks, nodding at the Night Furies.

Ayla nods. "Of course. The two of them already have a whole book of inside jokes." Ayla followed Astrid to the fireplace as she carried over the stew pot.

Hiccup was floored by the revelation. Of course dragons had a languages, but they didn't seem to share more than their animal needs. Anger or affection, protection and fear. He hadn't really considered the possibility that they could share something like a joke!

Of course Night Furies were smarter than the average dragon, and Hiccup had often though Toothless's warbles and growls had more than a superficial meaning, but it had been beyond his comprehension to decipher. Then the feeling of awe and joy was replaced by one of grief and guilt. All Toothless needed was another Night Fury to communicate. He must have felt so alone, all this time, with no one to talk to, no one that understood him. Of course he had been running off to the woods to talk with another Night Fury instead of following Hiccup around the village like a mere pet.

"Are you coming?" Astrid called to him, breaking him from his thoughts.

"Yeah!" Hiccup called back, started towards the hearth. The room was crowded with three people and two large reptiles, so the trip was a maze of swishing tails and partly extended wings and pushed around furniture.

Hiccup took a moment to embrace Toothless's head, where it was hanging beside Trev's. "I'm sorry bud. For everything." Toothless hummed a quiet response. Could Toothless understand him? Was he smarter than Hiccup by deciphering his human language before Hiccup had been able to understand his?

"I'm ready to answer your questions." Ayla said, looking up at him. Hiccup broke away and slid to the floor beside Astrid. He took a moment to consider Ayla, settled in the crook of Trev's chest, one of the dragon's tail fins draped over her lap, his own shirt hanging loosely from her frame, braided hair hanging over her shoulders.

"Alright. Let's start with an easy one. Where are you from?" Hiccup knew he had already asked her this question, but she had seemed reluctant to answer it before.

Ayla gives a strangled laugh. She raked her eyes along the floor and patted Trev on the nose. He hummed, but this time, it's not to speak to Toothless, it's to speak to Ayla.

"I'm from… I'm from the place where the sea meets the sky and everywhere in between." She says. It's a poetic way of evading the question that Hiccup appreciated.

"How'd you hear about Toothless? You said you came to find him."

"I heard word at a market on the mainland that there was an island of crazy dragon people in the North. Someone started joking about how they must have trained a Night Fury to keep control over the nest, and it just made sense."

"Oh! Toothless isn't in control of all of the dragons." Hiccup said dismissively.

Ayla rolled her eyes and Hiccup frowned.

He ignored it and moved on to another question.

"How long have you been living in that cave, watching us?"

She looks up, narrowing her eyes slightly. Trev's ears flattened then perked, as if he was listening in.

"Is that an accusation?" Ayla asked icily.

"No, it's a question." Hiccup countered passively, noting the girl's sudden change in mood.

"Hmm. No more than the season."

"So, weeks?"

"Um, the season." She repeats, scratching a fingernail along the floor.

Hiccup looked at Astrid, who was watching the flames lick around the sides of the stew pot. Did Ayla not know what a week was, or was she just being difficult?

"I see that you got the letter I left in your cave." He nods to the paper riddled with smudged ink, now dry. The yellow edges were curling in the heat of the fire and the paper was crisp and lined with fine wrinkles.

"Letter?"

"The letter of questions? I couldn't wait to ask you these things once I found out." Hiccup said, watching Ayla's face as she stared at the paper on the hearth. She frowned and the edges of her eyes crinkled. She looked blankly for a long time before turning her head to meet Hiccup's eyes.

"The one with the drawing of me and Trev, or the one with all the little shapes? I couldn't figure out what that one was supposed to mean." She said innocently.

Astrid turned her head then, dropping her hands from where she had been hugging her knees to her chest.

It hurt Hiccup that Ayla had never had the opportunity to learn how to read. She seemed to have grown up on the run, but still. Without books and the knowledge they provided, Hiccup didn't know where he would be today.

"It's a word." He explained, leaning forward and snatching the piece of parchment. "It's all muddled now, but you can still see." He points at the top of the letter, which suffered the least amount of water damage.

"Right here, I wrote, _Hello. My name is Hiccup. I am the rider of the Night Fury. I have a few-" _

Hiccup trailed off as he watched Ayla's face contort in quiet confusion. Astrid sighed softly, pulling the paper from Hiccup's hands and setting it among the flames. Everyone watched in silence as the hungry tongues lapped up the parchment, diminishing it to ashes in a matter of seconds.

A lull came over the room, settling heavily on the shoulders of Hiccup. It shouldn't have come as a surprise that Ayla didn't know how to read. She didn't even seem to know where she had come from. Who would have taught her to read, Trev?

"I think the stew's done." Astrid exclaimed, using a metal tool constructed by Hiccup in the forge years ago to pull it from the flames and set it on the hearth.

Hiccup pushed himself heavily to his feet to get three bowls and spoons from the kitchen. The world outside swirled roughly into the thick pane in the kitchen, little shards of ice embedded in the snow tinkled against the glass and the cold worked its way into the house.

Hiccup hurried back to the warmth of the fire. Astrid scooped the stew into the bowls and the three of them settled back down. Trev sniffed at Ayla's bowl, grumbling. Just as Hiccup was about to offer some of the fish from the basket by the door, Ayla whispered to him;

"It's fine. It's safe." So quietly and gently. Trev hummed and placed his head down on the floor, flicking Ayla's arm with one of his long ears. She paused and ran her hand down his face, much to the dragon's contentment.

"Are you going to eat?" Astrid asked Hiccup, catching him staring again.

"Oh! Oh yeah. Thanks Astrid."

"I give you my thanks." Ayla says, dipping her head to Astrid. The blond haired girl smiled warmly at Ayla.

"I'm not promising it will be any good."

"Oh hush. It will be worlds better than mine." Hiccup broke in.

"Obviously." Astrid smirked, raising a steaming spoonful to her lips. Hiccup stuck his tongue at her before turning to his own bowl. It seemed as though they were going to be in for a very interesting snow storm indeed.

**xX Wings That Change Xx**

Ayla ran her tongue along her lips as she finished off the last of the stew. It was delicious. There was tender fish and plants that she had never heard of and it had seasoning that she had never tasted before. Ayla wanted to ask Astrid about it, what it was made from, where had she acquired the ingredients, but neither Hiccup nor Astrid seemed very impressed by it.

Instead, they sat quietly and watched the flames.

"_How's that taste?" _Trev asked.

Ayla took another glance at the other humans in the room before risking answering.

"_Really good. Try it." _She held out the empty bowl to him. Trev peered into it before huffing a hot breath back in her face. Ayla gave him a mock glare and he flashed out his tongue to lick up some of the remaining sauce coating the bowl.

He makes an indignant sound then, swiping a claw over his tongue to rid himself of the taste. Ayla chuckled and Trev stood up, rousing Toothless who was laying right behind him. Both Night Furies shuffled to make room for each other in the tight space.

"Is something the matter?" Hiccup asked, looking alarmed.

"No!" Ayla said quickly. "Trev doesn't much care for the stew. I think it is wonderful though!"

"Oh, thank you! At least someone appreciates my cooking!" Astrid joked, carrying her dish to the kitchen. She had to slide past Trev, who bristled at her touch, hopping backwards. He bumped Toothless, who whipped his tail around, the end of it catching the stack of wood, sending the logs across the living room.

"Woah!" Hiccup jumped to his feet, snatching several chunks of wood out of the reach of the flames.

"The house must not have been built for two dragons." Ayla said, feeling out of place suddenly.

"Actually, it wasn't built for any." Hiccup said with an exhale, restacking the logs.

Before Ayla could reply, Astrid hollered. "Hiccup! Your water pipe's frozen!"

"Great." He sighed.

"I'm sorry." Ayla murmured, stepping back, pressing into Trev to make more room in the small house.

"It's not your fault." Hiccup said, almost as more of a question. He rubbed his brow and side stepped Toothless to go to the sink. The wind whistled louder outside and the logs of the house groaned. Trev growled and looked all around.

"Shh. It's nothing." Ayla assured him, but she's feeling worse and worse by the moment. Hiccup and Astrid seemed so nice, but now the house felt like it was crushing her.

She wanted, no, she needed to stretch her wings, to see the sky and feel to wind gliding over her scales. But none of that was possible now. Or ever. Even if she hadn't known it then, the moment Ayla decided to come to Berk she had given all of that up. Not immediately, but it was inevitable with the life she was trying to make for herself.

She watched silently as Astrid and Hiccup return to the hearth. Trev hummed and vibrated his chest, buzzing the sound though Ayla. She traced her finger along the delicate scale pattern on his chest.

The two humans had such a nice dynamic together, Ayla couldn't help but wondering if they were mates. Astrid had seemed utterly embarrassed when she had questioned it a few moments before though.

"So Ayla, that was some pretty impressive flying a couple days ago."

She chuckled. "That was all Trev. He's a bit of a showoff."

"_Am not!" _He protested just to her, but he knew Ayla was right.

"You should show me how you did some of those tricks once the snow clears up."

"If you show me what in the lightning all of those little shapes mean." Ayla surprised herself by saying. She was really curious, having spent hours staring at them and coming up blank. It was fascinating to find out they did have a meaning and she wanted to know it.

"You're interested in learning to read?" Hiccup's eyes were wide, surprised.

"Yes?"

"Of course I'd teach you!" He smiled, a bright, genuine toothy smile that was contagious.

"Dorks." Astrid rolled her eyes, laying down on the floor. Toothless dropped his head to her torso with a moan and Astrid exhaled heavily at the weight. Then Hiccup laughed and Ayla had to smile again.

Now she was feeling alright again. The atmosphere of the small home was warm and enveloping. Ayla didn't know if it was the fire and the sense of security or the primal instinct to sleep through the snow that was pulling her eyelids down, but she noticed Trev struggling with the same thing. Toothless was already sleeping away on top of Astrid.

"I hope Stormfly is alright." Astrid murmured, stroking Toothless.

"She will be." Hiccup assured her, scooting over beside her thin frame. He reclined into his dragon and shut his eyes, seemingly content. Astrid looked over at him, smiled gently and then fluttered shut her eyes.

Trev and Ayla both sat, transfixed, watching them. It was weird to be so close to other humans. Something they haven't been for years. Ayla studied their faces. Pale skin and long hair. They were Viking through and through. It was weird to her that they had such confidence in the two strangers. That they are safe. That she and Trev wouldn't tear out their throats while they slept.

"_They trust too easily." _Trev said, shifting his front paws, echoing Ayla's exact thoughts. His claws scraped along the floor, leaving faint gouges in the wood.

"I want to sleep too." Ayla whispered aloud to him. Suddenly she didn't have the energy to speak to him inside his head.

"_Come on then." _Trev walked backwards until he could lay down his long body. He rolled to his side and shuffled his wings until a small dark cave formed. Ayla gratefully slid inside and willingly allowed herself to be cocooned, with her resting on one of his front legs and her back pressed up flush along his chest. His deep, steady heartbeat lulled her to sleep as it had every night for seasons and seasons.

X*X*X*X*X*X*

"Ayla? Are you still here?" She blinked awake, reaching a hand up to wipe her mouth.

"Ayla?" She jumped. Well, she jerked her body. _Where am I?_ She thought groggily. For a long moment I wondered who was in their cave and why Trev had yet to blast their head off.

"Trev, where is Ayla?"

Then Trev shifted and revealed her. The dim firelight was enough to make Ayla squint after the blackness that had been enveloping her sleeping form. She sat up, remembering where she was; with Hiccup and Astrid and Toothless. The icy stream and the stew and all the questions.

"Greetings." She said with a gravelly voice. She must have been asleep for a long time.

"Thor! I thought you'd gone out into the snow." Hiccup exclaimed, blinking at the two of them.

"What does that mean?"

"What?"

"Thor. You say it all the time." Ayla clarifies, curious.

"Oh! It's like how you say by the lightning, I think." He says. Ayla cocked a brow, waiting for him to continue.

"Thor is the God of thunder and storms. He is the most feared God of all, so we use his name as an exclamation of sorts." Hiccup scratched his head as he talked.

Ayla nodded. It makes sense, but she really doesn't care for the whole Gods thing. She's heard of it, more so on the mainland in little villages where the people gathered around a table and killed animals and painted the blood on themselves in honor of their Gods. The whole thing left a foul taste on Ayla's tongue. She didn't say this to Hiccup, as it seemed something he believed in and she didn't want him to slit her throat as a sacrifice.

"I think the snow's letting up." Hiccup's said brightly, breaking the quiet.

"_He's wrong." _Trev interjected. Ayla ignored him.

"Really?"

"Yeah, you can be out of here soon." He looked at Ayla then, the statement seemed laced with an underlying question. One he didn't want to ask, but wanted to know the answer to.

Unsure how to address this situation, Ayla only crossed over to the window. Flurries still swirled and drifts were piled high along the sides of the buildings. It showed absolutely no signs of letting up.

"Will we have enough time for you to teach me the symbols?" She asked, still facing the window. She longed to see the sky, but it was too obscured by clouds and swirling whiteness.

"We can get started!" Hiccup said and before Ayla could even turn around, he was off to a part of the house she hadn't seen yet, his strange metal foot making weird noises on the floor.

"Have fun with him." Astrid remarked. Ayla looked at her. "There is nothing that boy loves more than learning and teaching. It probably physically hurts him that you can't read."

"Hmm." Ayla didn't words to respond to her. What should she say?

"Here! I don't have very much paper, but it's enough." Hiccup said, his voice echoing through the wooden walls. Ayla wasn't completely convinced that she liked this house with it strange sounds and cramped rooms, but it definitely beat being out in this weather.

He dropped the things he'd acquired in front of the fire and Ayla settled beside him. Trev seated himself behind her, peering over her shoulder. There were several leather bound books and several sheets of dull yellowish parchment. There is also a small glass pot of some impossibly dark liquid and several feathers. Ayla reached for one and rolled it between her fingers, thinking that it was from a hawk of some kind.

"That's a quill." Hiccup said, sorting through his papers until he found one with a large blank space at the top. "You dip it in ink and use it to write."

Ayla watched intently as he uncorked the glass pot and tapped the end of the feather into it. He smoothed the paper on the stack of books and traced out shapes with confident strokes. He made one line across the top, all of the shapes different, and continued below it, only going half way across. The black ink was dark. Darker than a moonless night, darker than a Night Fury's scales. Darker than anything Ayla had ever seen.

She was so transfixed by the ink it took her a second to start listening to Hiccup when he started talking. He gave each of the shapes a name and a sound, which he made Ayla repeat back to him. She felt silly doing so.

"All of the letters can be combined to form words." Hiccup explained, writing something below it. Ayla spent all morning sounding out the different things he wrote, frequently having to ask what sound a certain shape made. Each time Ayla sounded out a word correctly, Hiccup beamed. He seemed so excited by the prospect of her becoming literate, more so than Ayla herself.

Trev watched the entire time. Ayla bet her was following along, doing it in his head, learning to read too. Hiccup glanced at him frequently, but made no comment.

"Ayla, you are the fastest learner I've met!" Hiccup announced once he'd filled up all of the paper with small words. The ink had leaked through and run together in places, making the page more black than white.

"I don't know about that." She said warily, unsure how she felt about his high praises.

"I'm serious! We've only been doing this for a few hours and you can already read!"

"I don't know about that either." Sure, she could sound things out, but one glance at a page inside the leather books and her mind was a jumbled mess of incoherent shapes and unrelated sounds.

"It takes time, sure, but you can do it already! You've just got to practice to get good at it."

"Maybe." Ayla says, leaning back into Trev's leg. Only it isn't Trev. She can immediately tell because her head landed solidly on a chest instead of just grazing the top of it.

She sat forward and tipped her head back, meeting a wide gummy smile. Toothless warbled at Ayla, flicking his head frills up and down.

"I think he likes you." Hiccup said.

"Why does he do that?" She asked, referring to the weird way he smiled. It really isn't a natural movement by any measure.

"He did it to copy me. A long time ago, when we first met. I smiled at him and he smiled back. That's how I named him, you know."

"I think so."

"Yeah…." Hiccup sounded wistful. "I can't believe how little we knew back then. We've come so far and learned so much these past three years."

Toothless gazed at Ayla until she stood up, stretching her stiff limbs. She's been sitting on the floor for a long time. Trev was dozing by the door. Ayla doubted he slept during the night. He was not one to trust strangers. Ayla would bet he stared at Hiccup and Astrid all night and didn't move for fear of waking her up. Sometimes, Ayla felt like she was holding him back, but then she thought that he needed her as much as she needed him. She knew he wanted to live free, be one with the wind and never encounter the human world again. He wanted it in the same way she wanted to be part of the human world. Ayla really wanted both. She couldn't have both though, so maybe she really didn't know what she wanted?

"Are you two going to eat?" Astrid asked through a mouthful of bread. She stepped around a sleeping Trev and tossed a piece of something at both Hiccup and Ayla. Ayla passed it thoughtfully from hand to hand.

She'd had bread once before, when she found a coin on the ground with Trev and traded it for a piece at a vender in the crowded mainland city. That bread was light, both in color and weight, and did very little to fill their bellies. This bread, however, was a deep brown color, speckled with seeds and densely rich. The outside was crusty and the inside is a spongy web of little fibers, interspersed with air pockets.

Ayla pressed her finger into the middle and watched as the bread compacted into a wet little clump.

"I know it's a few days old, but it's still good." Hiccup said, taking her investigation as criticism.

"Oh! I'm sure. I was just looking at it." She reassured him, not wanting him to take her slowness to eat as a sign of disapproval.

"Have you ever had bread before Ayla?" Astrid asked gently, folding her legs as she sat between us.

"Yes." She replies softly, tearing the small loaf in her hand. "Once, but it was very different than this."

No one said anything more and Ayla took a bite. It was springy with a tough outside that took some work to chew through, but it is really good. Rich and aromatic. Nutty and dense in a way that was both familiar and completely foreign to her.

"How is it?"

"Very good." Ayla flashed them a smile in thanks. It was nice to eat this real human food for a change.

**AN_**

**Thanks for reading!**

**-Birch66724**


	15. Go On Home

"The snow's stopped!" Ayla yelled from the kitchen. Hiccup and Astrid both jumped up. They all pressed their noses to the glass, not truly believing it. It had been a long three days, cooped up inside the house. The dragons were hungry and cranky, they were almost out of firewood and food, and everyone was bored out of their minds.

Hiccup was disappointed that he had not been able to get much more information out of Ayla. She still wouldn't say where she came from, but she had said she came in search of answers. What questions she had still remained a mystery to Hiccup and Astrid, but he didn't want to pry anymore. She got squirmy when she got uncomfortable with his interrogating.

"It really has!"

"Let me out of here!" Astrid laughed, jumping to the door. Everyone followed. After finding the latch frozen shut, Toothless coaxed a small blue flame to defrost it. In the matter of seconds it took to do so, the anticipation grew by tenfold.

Trev was perhaps the worst off. After the second night, he had taken to pacing, despite Ayla's attempts to calm him down. There were suggestions of letting him outside, but Ayla wouldn't let him go without her. So he paced. He was able to take all of four steps each direction, which was infuriating to everyone.

Despite that, it had been a pretty good few days by Hiccup's measure. He had come to terms with the new Night Fury and rider, made a plan on how to introduce them to his Father and the village, taught Ayla a basic understanding of how to read, spent time with Astrid, and gotten a lot of questions answered.

"Try it now," Astrid said. Ayla turned the handle and Toothless headbutted it, but the door only pushed open a few inches. Everyone grumbled their dissent, but it seemed too much for Trev. He brushed everyone back from the door with a broad wing and blasted the door off the hinges.

Hiccup realized his intentions at the same time as Ayla, but Toothless blocked their way from stopping them. Hiccup glared at his dragon when he realized he must be in on the plan as well.

Hiccup had also gotten to listen to Trev and Toothless talk to each other over the last few days, but was still unsuccessful at deciphering anything specific.

Trev bellowed as he fired a second blast and sent the drifted snow flying in all directions. The draft of icy air extinguished the fire and brought a rush of powdery snow into the house.

"That's just great," Hiccup muttered through a smile. Astrid was laughing and Ayla was looking anxious as Trev and Toothless bounded outside, sinking to their noses in snow.

"No, it's okay!" Hiccup tried to reassure Ayla, as she looked as though she felt badly about the action of her dragon.

"I'll make you a new one." She concluded. Hiccup decided not to refuse her offer, even though he knew he'd have a new door build hopefully overnight so his Father never even noticed the absence of the old one.

Trev was hopping through the snow like a baby rabbit, relishing in the freedom apparently. Ayla called out after him.

"Forget about me or what?" She still stood in the doorway. Trev hummed and hopped back to her, nosing her and tossing her into the air. She made a sound as she flailed her arms, surprised and thrilled and she landed squarely on Trev shoulders.

He growled and flicked snow at her with his wing. She only laughed. Toothless bounded over, mouth full of snow which he promptly deposited on Trev's head. Trev reeled, shaking like a dog doused in water, throwing Ayla from his back. She was nimble though, jumping from her dragon to Hiccup's to avoid falling into the snow.

Hiccup watched with a strange feeling as the three of them played. Astrid was preoccupied tugging on her furs for the trek home.

Trev paused and looked at Ayla, she looked back for a second before saying,

"Quiet you!" And sticking out her tongue. As if he had said something to her. It had happened several times over the last few days and it always left Hiccup feeling as if there was more going on than met the eye. He had brought it up to Astrid who had said,

"She spent practically her whole life alone with him, of course they communicate."

It was something more than that though, Hiccup just knew it.

"Walk me home?" Astrid asked, standing up, bundled from head to toe in furs. Only her eyes poked out from her elaborate head wrap.

Hiccup laughed. "Since when is fearless Astrid Hofferson afraid of the cold?"

"Since never!" She replied, wrestling the pelt down a ways to expose the rest of her face.

"Come on then!"

"You are going to be the one to explain to my parents why I was gone for the last three days." Astrid muttered, taking her first steps into the white world beyond the house.

Hiccup swallowed. That was not a conversation he was looking forward to. Ayla was going to have to come too so Astrid's parents didn't think they had been alone. For three days. Together. _By Thor the implications of that. _Hiccup's face was reddening at the thought.

Hiccup reached behind him to shut the door, only to see the wooden splinters decorating the snow around the front of the house. Sighing, he looked out at Trev, who had Ayla firmly back on his shoulders. He was flexing his wings, as if to take off. It was weird to see motions he associated with Toothless and Toothless only on another dragon.

"Thank you for welcoming us into your home." Ayla said, her cheeks pink from the cold.

"Wait, you're leaving already?"

"Yes."

"Will we see you again?" Hiccup didn't want to ask the question.

"Of course!" The certainty of her answer was surprising and warming to Hiccup.

"Where will we meet you?" Hiccup asks.

Ayla gives a wry smile. "I'll find you." Before Hiccup or Astrid could say anything more, Trev has beat his wings and lifted into the air with a puff of powder. He bellowed happily and swooped low, tipping from side to side and kicking up more snow as he glided away, leaving a trail of wide slashes patterned into the untouched snow. Hiccup and Astrid both watched them go.

"I like her." Astrid said decisively. Hiccup only nodded. She held so many secrets it was hard to know who she really was. But, by using Toothless's judgment, Hiccup decided he liked her too. He was watching his dragon bounding through the snow in the direction the pair was rapidly disappearing in. He warbled, obviously unable to keep up.

Toothless seemed even more enamored with Ayla then he did Trev. He was always hovering near her and warbling to gain her attention. She was kind and reciprocated the attention. If Toothless deemed her worthy of time and attention, Hiccup did too.

"Come on!" Astrid called. Toothless plowed a path into town and Hiccup and Astrid trudged on behind him through the deep snow. They seemed to be the only people out yet. Snow still lay thick and untouched on every surface, glistening white in the sun which had already appeared. Spring snow never stayed long.

Smoke curled lazily into the heavy sky. The air was so still, the sea so quiet, its ever present crash against the shore was inaudible. Hiccup started to sweat beneath his layers of pelts. It was cold outside, sure, but it was spring and its accompanying sun were close and warm and life giving.

After a time of trudging with knee high steps through the snow drifts, they arrived at Astrid's house. Stormfly burst out of the open fronted stable built beside the house.

"Hey girl!" Astrid called, embracing the Nadder's wide head, her cheeks, bright red from the exercise and the chill, spread wide in a smile at the sight of her dragon.

It soon vanished as the door burst open.

"Astrid! I was worried sick!" Her mother called, stepping out into the snow, holding up the skirt of her apron and shaking her head at her daughter.

"I'm alright!" Astrid assured her mother, letting herself be embraced. Hiccup shifted from foot to foot, biting his cheek, waiting for the conversation that would surely follow. He had decided on the way over to simply say there was a dragon emergency he needed help with. It wasn't entirely a lie.

"There's that Night Fury, so the Chief's boy must not be far." Astrid's mother held her at arms length, seeing Toothless greeting Stormfly.

"Hello Mrs. Hofferson!" Hiccup said brightly, stepping forward to meet her.

"Ah, Hiccup!" Before she could continue, Astrid's father joined them, slamming the door shut to gain the attention of the assembled group.

"I suppose you've got something to do with the disappearance of my daughter?" He asked gruffly. Mr. Hofferson was a friendly man and his angered expression didn't seem to fit well on his face. Hiccup felt intimidated nonetheless.

"Um, yes. There was this dragon… that was injured in the storm and I really needed some help taking care of her. Astrid was my first choice because-"

"I get it." Astrid's father cuts Hiccup off. HIccup looks up at him, flickering his eyes to Astrid and then back to Mr. Hofferson.

"Just so long as nothing _funny _was going on…"

"Dad!" Astrid shrieked indignantly. That broke Mr. Hofferson.

"I'm only teasing! I know my boy Hiccup's a good one!" The man gave a wry smile and clamped a hand on Hiccup's shoulder, shaking him a bit. Hiccup laughed stiffly, both relieved and thoroughly embarrassed.

"Come on now Astrid! I need help sorting the seed potatoes." Mrs. Hofferson stated as she stomped the snow off her boots before going back inside.

Astrid makes a tight lipped expression and rolled her eyes at Hiccup before following her mother into the warm house.

Wanting nothing more than to run far, far away from Astrid's father, Hiccup grit his teeth and asked;

"Anything I can help you with while I'm here, Mr. Hofferson?"

"Ah, call me Olaf boy. Family calls me Olaf."

"Alright, Olaf." Hiccup gave a genuine smile, before again realizing the implications of his statement.

"But no. Go on down to the Great Hall though. I think they got pretty drifted in there."

"Sure! See you around!"

"I hope so!"

Red faced, and not from the cold, Hiccup swung a leg over Toothless's back for a faster escape, only to realize Toothless is not wearing any of his rigging. He felt a brief flash of jealousy at the easy freedom shared between Trev and Ayla. Immediately thereafter, a rush of guilt washed over him. Afterall, it was entirely his fault.

**xX Wings That Change Xx**

_I am going to freeze to death._ That's all Ayla could think as she clung to Trev's back. For approximately 3 seconds, the cold air felt wonderful, then she remembered how useless human skin was. Paper thin and weak. All she was wearing was her tunic and vest, leggings and boots. And it was freezing.

Trev was having the time of his life, flexing his wings and legs, humming into the breeze and rocking back and forth, basking in the open air of freedom. Ayla was jealous. He needed to hurry up and get back to the cave before she turned into an icicle on his back.

She didn't tell him though. She was too afraid he'd do a roll and she'd plunge straight into the sea and they'd have a repeat of a few days prior. Ayla still didn't really remember what happened but she hasn't had a chance to talk to Trev about it, what with Hiccup always looking at her with his strangely analytical eyes. He looked like he knew too much, even though there is no way he could have.

Finally, as Ayla's fingers turn blue and stiffened soildly around the bases of Trev's wings, he alighted on the cave's ledge. She slid off on numb feet. Into more snow.

Ayla must have gasped or something because Trev just started cackling.

"Not funny! I am going to freeze! Frozen alive!" Ayla's teeth chattered as she talked, proving her point.

"_Just turn. I'm warm as a fire." _He waggled his shoulders, taunting her.

"No." Ayla replied firmly, rubbing her arms. She couldn't even feel the fabric of the tunic under her numb fingers.

"_Fine. Die then." _Trev turned and flicked snow over her with his tail.

Ayla shrieked, brushing it off and dancing back on her toes. She stopped and considered her options then. Stay human and beg Trev to warm her up, or phase and be fine.

She promised herself that she wouldn't phase anymore, but with these circumstances… How desperately she wanted to arch her back and stretch out her wings...

Trev waited, his expression turning smug as she slipped off her vest. Even removing what little coverings she had on brough another level of severity to the cold. Ayla stripped down, her bare feet making footprints in the snow. As she shook and contorted into her other form, the heat rippled through her almost instantly. Ayla knew she'd made the right choice as she stretched out her back and wings with almost euphoric relief, but she still felt guilty, like she was betraying someone. She knew she wasn't, but on some level, it still felt wrong.

"Better now?" Trev spoke through growls.

"Yes." Ayla said back gruffly. Her Night Fury speech isn't nearly to the level of Trev's but she can use this as an opportunity to force him to practice with her.

The pair swept out the drifted in snow, blowing hot breaths at the stuff worked into the corners. Once happy with the cave, Trev announced his hunger and leapt into the air without another word.

Ayla snarled after him, bounding to the edge and tettering on it, watching Trev circle back and laugh at her. He knew just how to get her worked up. He knew she said she wasn't going to fly anymore, but he also knew just how much she wanted to.

He looped around again, rolling in graceful circles, performing his half of a sky dance they worked out years ago. When he messed up part of it, it's too much to handle. Ayla huffed and leapt, throwing out her wings. It was an effort to get them working, especially with little to no warm air to play on, but she managed.

Now that she's airborne, Trev had no interest in playing. He zipped off towards the fishing cove. Ayla was forced to follow, but not angerily anymore. She glided after him, dancing by herself and having a good time doing it. She rocked and spun and twirled, not even realizing she was humming to herself until Trev shot her an amused look. She stopped immediately.

"I liked it! Keep going!" He barked, turning over and flying upside down, inviting her to fly above him. She took the bait, but stopped her humming song. Trev stuck his tongue out and a long line of slobber trailed off it in the wind. Ayla made a disgusted sound and winged away. He just laughed. Like always.

Ayla flexed her tail fins, feeling herself wobble and sway. She felt for Toothless in that moment. He must be so miserable, grounded as he was. There truly was no way to fly without a workable tail.

"_I knew you'd love it. Just had to get you back out here." _Trev says, swooping around her. Ayla doesn't want to pause to respond, so she just weaves over him and they spiral around each other. They had years of experience flying together and know each other's every move, even when flying completely unscripted so to speak.

Ayla couldn't resist now, with Trev coasting calmly a body length below her, scanning the water for shoals of fish. She folded her wings and pounced on his back. He yelped and flailed, turning over and firing a smokey shot at her in retaliation. Ayla dodged it and nipped at his tail.

He snarled playfully and chased her. He's no match for Ayla's agility at low elevation. She swooped, dipping her claws into the sea and spattered icey water back at him, rolling between rock towers and chuckling to herself. Does it ever feel good to fly!

Trev wasn't easy to shake though, and as Ayla shot the gap and came out the other side, he'd already gone around and tackled her from above. He didn't let go though, wrapping her up and then they tumbled from the sky. Ayla struggled in his grasp, laughing in high wheezy breaths, weakening her attempts at escape. Trev gave her ear a cuff and let her go. They both threw out their wings and let them fill with air like the Vikings ship sails, stopping the pair just short of the dark water.

Here the water is a bit warmer than out over the open ocean allowing the two NightFuries to glide on the rising warm air for a time, scanning for their next meal.

They need no words to attack the school of fish, blasting the water and scooping up the dead fish, trading for their favorites and lounging with full bellies in the late afternoon sun. Water drips all around. The sun is too hot for the snow to stay for long this late in the season, but there is so much of it in places, it won't be gone for several sunrises.

The flight back to the cave was uneventful. Ayla and Trev don't mess around or even talk. Ayla closed her eyes into the setting sun, feeling the breeze play over her frills and trace it's way between her white tipped dorsal spines. It felt so unbelievably good to fly. Humans really didn't know what they were missing.

"Sleep?" Trev asked.

"Yes." Ayla said, then cocked her head, trying to unmuddle the words in her head. "No. Practice words with me?"

"No. Sleep with me." He grumbled and warmed the rock. Ayla watched as he heavily flopped down and lifted his wing. Ayla worked her mouth, trying to make up her mind. She really shouldn't, but for old times sake. She sighed and took her place at Trev's chest in her current form.

He murmured something, Ayla wasn't sure if was a word or not.

"_What does that mean?" _She froze and ask him. He didn't answer. I figured it must have been nothing or he was just too tired to tell her.

He made the noise again and shuffled to get more comfortable. Ayla didn't ask again, only yawned and shut her eyes.

"Sleep well." She whispered into the darkness.

**AN_**

**Are the playing scenes between Trev and Ayla getting old? I just like to write them so much but let me know if I am over doing it.**


	16. Numb

"You mean she was really in your house for three days and you didn't tell us?" Ruffnut said with an indignant look.

"No no, the real question is, Hiccup was in that house for three days, with a girl, so did he-"

"Watch it!" Astrid yelled, brandishing her axe.

Snotlout talked over Astrid in reply in Tuffnut. "Of course not, he's _Hiccup." _

Hiccup was listening to the conversation going on around him at the back table in the Great Hall, but was not participating in it. He was working on his latest design. A house.

Astrid was polishing her silver axe with a chunk of ice, for whatever reason, and looking over his shoulder.

"Are you basing the measurements off of Toothless's size?" she asked.

"Oh shoot," Hiccup sighed. "I knew there was a reason I was keeping you around."

"Hey!"

Hiccup chuckled and rubbed the charcoal off half of the house sketch. He was designing a house for Ayla and Trev. But it was no ordinary house. The entire front opened up to accommodate the Night Fury half of the duo, so they could both sleep inside.

As well as functioning as a regular house on the lower level, the upstairs, which could be reached by Ayla by a small ladder in the corner, would serve as a roost for Trev, so Ayla could sleep beside him as she liked to do.

Hiccup redrew the house slightly wider, to account for Trev's larger size. It would be a feat to build, even with their dragons' help. They need strong timbers to support the weight of a Night Fury.

Hiccup screwed his mouth to one side and tapped the end of his writing tool on his taut cheek. Measurements flew through his head like a flock of Nadders on their migration. It would be a square, to make things a bit easier, but that wasn't going to solve all of their problems.

"Hey Astrid, what do you think about-" Hiccup was cut off mid sentence as his mighty Father took his place at the head of the Hall and raised his voice for all of the assembled Berkians to hear.

"We have all survived another spring snowstorm, and thanks to all of your hard work, and the work of the dragons, the village is looking good. Minus a few sheds and fences, but that might just be the cost of melting snow with fire breathing beasts."

People at all of the tables chuckled at comment, raising their sloshing mugs and

downing another helping of mead. Their cheeks were blotchy red from cold and newcomers beards and brows were still crusted with frost. Smaller dragons lounged around the large burning fire in the center of the hall, and larger ones could be heard shifting the snow on the roof.

"Now, I know the talk of the village at the moment is the matter of the mysterious Night Fury, seeing as there was another sighting of him this morning, flying low over the village."

Cries and yells of outrage rose from the tables. Hiccup's head snapped up and surveyed the people with growing concern. He shared a look with Astrid and tucked his house sketch safely out of view.

"That is why I am sending Hiccup, my son, to go find it. If anyone can track down a Nightfury, it'd be him!"

"Aye, righto!"

"I'll drink to that!"

"Talk some sense into that thing, would ya boyo?"

Hiccup swallowed stiffly. He was as relieved by this proclamation from his father as he was anxious. Now he could openly pursue Ayla and Trev and not be questioned for it, but the growing distrust in the village for this mysterious dragon did not bode well for his hopes of the pair coming to live on Berk. How could they possibly take up permanent residence on an island of Vikings who distrusted them?

"Excited?" Astrid asked, prodding Hiccup on the shoulder with her axe. He looked at her wide blue eyes and wisps of blond hair dividing up her forehead.

"Yeah. I think I'll leave tonight." Hiccup said, moving to stand.

"Wait!" Astrid pulled him back down, attracting attention from their tablemates. Astrid glared at them before leaning into Hiccup's ear. "Didn't Ayla say _she'd_ find _you?" _Astrid hissed under her breath.

"Well, yeah, but-"

"No but! What if she gets mad? She seems pretty private, Hiccup." Astrid narrowed her eyes at Hiccup. They glowed with an unspoken warning.

Hiccup looked away and stood quickly. The Great Hall felt stifling. He had to get outside, get into the sky.

He risked a quick glance back at Astrid, who looked caustic, glaring through her lashes. Hiccup faked a smile and, in an uncharacteristic show of public affection, gave Astrid a peck on the cheek before turning on his heel and making for the door. He heard Snotlout's whistle and ducked around a group of women, just in case Astrid decided to lob her axe after him.

Toothless met him at the door, warbling and hopping on his feet. His green eyes reflected the torchlight and his nostrils twitched expectantly. Puffy white breaths cloud from his open maw.

"Come on bud." Hiccup locked his prosthesis into place and swung a leg over his dragon's back, settling himself on the saddle. Toothless hummed and charged down the road, throwing out his wings and letting them catch the icy sea breezes. The pair spiraled above the village and Hiccup deliberated on which direction to start his search.

The setting sun painted their background as they headed East, coasting back and forth, scanning the open sea for islands and inlets. Hiccup's mind couldn't help but drift back to Astrid. She was bound to be angry when he returned, but she just didn't understand. An opportunity like this didn't just come along everyday! Who knew if they were any other Night Furies outside of Toothless and Trev. If Ayla just left, Toothless would be devastated. And Hiccup had to admit, he would be too.

Hiccup was fairly certain Ayla and Trev were living in that cave they had discovered several days ago, but he didn't know if he should go straight there. It would be best to meet them in neutral territory. Perhaps he could even make it look like a chance encounter.

After only a few minutes of coasting over the open sea however, Hiccup grew impatient. If he knew where they were, shouldn't he just go straight there and explain himself? Toothless seemed to be pulling South, as if he agreed with Hiccup.

"Alright bud," Hiccup conceded. "Lead the way."

FIlled with anticipation, Hiccup urged Toothless faster, squinting his eyes as the cold wind streamed over his face and hair, musing his auburn locks and bringing a rosy color to his cheeks. Gripping the saddle with frozen fingers, Toothless wove between the sea stacks, eyes keen for the telltale darkness that hinted at a cleft in the rock.

Instead, Hiccup spotted the golden glow of firelight, gleaming from a dark void. Toothless warbled deeply and winged down, legs extended to land on the ledge in front of the fire. Just as his claws were about to make contact with the damp stone, a dark shape flew from the cave, slamming into Toothless. He cried out, reeling backwards and Hiccup was thrown out of the saddle, remaining out of the sea only by his metal leg, firmly clamped in the contraption. He managed to swing back in the saddle as Toothless regained his composure.

Hiccup shook his head and looked up, just as a second shape retreated from the mouth of the cave. At least, Hiccup thought that's what he saw. But Trev was squared off in front of them, eyes narrowed and mouth drawn up into a fierce snarl.

Hiccup swallowed, reaching his hands forward towards the Night Fury.

"Trev! Hey boy! It's us, remember? You know us, it's okay." Trev didn't move from his defensive position in front of the cave, but his eyes went glassy and his ears swivelled around, as if listening to a far off sound.

Toothless called out softly, making a variety of noises that Hiccup had never heard from his dragon. They were at a standstill, gently moving up and down with the dragon's wing beats, hovering in the air, just a few feet above the thrashing sea.

Finally, Trev relaxed and Hiccup heard a voice, breaking through the tension in the air.

"Trev, come here!" The huge dragon instantly obeyed, turning and disappearing into the cave, faster than Hiccup thought possible, even for a Night Fury.

"Hey, Ayla! It's me, Hiccup!"

"Oh, yeah. I can see you," she called back mildly. Hiccup's brow furrowed unconsciously at her response. Toothless edged closer.

"I think we startled Trev, coming up like that. Sorry." Hiccup was speaking at a normal volume now, close enough to see the firelight reflecting off of Ayla's grey-blue eyes. Her hair was loose from its braids and she looked a bit frazzled. Her eyes darted around in the blackness behind Hiccup.

"I'm alone," Hiccup assured her, patting Toothless neck. "It's just me and him."

"Why are you here?" she asked bluntly, not stepping back or making room for Toothless to land.

"Uh, well, the chief of Berk sent me out to find you. Well, Trev really, because people of Berk don't know about you yet, but we-"

"That's good. The less they know the better."

That gave Hiccup pause. He really didn't know what Ayla was after on Berk.

"I was thinking though, can I come in and talk for a little bit?" Hiccup asked gently.

Ayla screwed her mouth to the side, thinking. Trev appeared behind her, all of the aggression he showed just a moment before now gone. His eyes were large and round, flames dancing in their glassy reflection.

Ayla dipped her head and stepped back. Toothless landed and nudged Trev as Hiccup slid off his back, walking over and warming his hands. There seemed to be no hard feelings between the two black beasts.

"Did the Chief send you to kill Trev?" Ayla asked sharply, keeping her distance from Hiccup, but he could feel her eyes on him.

Hiccup chose his words carefully. "No, the people of Berk are dragon friendly people, but they are worried about Trev's... presence." Hiccup turned to face Ayla.

"Presence," she repeated, blinking coldly.

"Yes. He destroyed one of their fishing boats, and they are worried he will destroy more of their things."

Ayla nodded. "You say _their_."

"What?"

"You say their, their boats, their things. Are these not your things too? You do live on Berk, right?"

"Well, yes, but I don't always share their views."

"Obviously. Because you know Trev."

"Yeah, but it's not just that. You know, I never have shared their opinions on dragons. For years I tried to convince my Dad that we didn't have to kill them, but it took Toothless to convince everyone."

"What's your Dad have to do with it? What matters is that the Chief knows. He's the man who runs everything." Ayla's eyes were trained on the fire, so she didn't see Hiccup blush and wring his hands.

"My Dad is the Chief," he said softly.

"What?" Ayla jumped to his side.

"Yes, but it's okay! My Dad is on my side now! He lets dragons live in the village and he doesn't allow anyone to kill them anymore." Hiccup spoke quickly, gesturing with his hands as fear danced in Ayla's grey eyes.

"You mean to tell me that those three days, I was staying in the house of the Chief?"

"Well, yeah, but he's hardly ever home," Hiccup said. He watched Ayla. Trev came and nudged her, slipping his nose under her hand. Ayla rubbed circles with her thumb on his nose for several moments, otherwise not moving.

"I don't know…." She started, glancing up. "If you should be the one who talks to me." She spoke softly.

"I'm not sure what you mean?" Hiccup asked, furrowing his brow. _Why was Ayla so uncomfortable talking to him all of a sudden?_

"If your dad is the chief, that might make you, you know…"

"I don't know," Hiccup said gently, despite his growing impatience with the situation.

"You might turn us in. To get coins and gold for your village, so they can turn Trev's scales into a cape and mount his head on a pole on their ship." Ayla stared wide eyed at Hiccup, as if the horrendous scene she described was being played out in the depths of her grey irises. Hiccup didn't doubt it was playing out in her head.

"Oh, Ayla," Hiccup whispered. Before he could stop himself, he reached out for her. She stood frozen until he laid his hand on her arm, when she jumped. Trev snarled and Toothless growled right back.

The air of the cave grew tense as Trev drew back and Toothless stepped up to Hiccup's side. The two Night Furies stared at each other, some sort of understanding passed between them. Their friendship would not outlast their bonds to their human counterparts.

Hiccup felt warmed and relieved for a brief moment, at the realization that Toothless had not abandoned him in favor of Trev. He would still protect him at all costs.

Then he looked back at the haunted look in Ayla's eyes.

"Ayla, Berk isn't like that. At least not any more. My people have seen the good that dragons can do. No one would ever kill another dragon." Hiccup inwardly winced, doubting his own statement.

Ayla let out a long slow breath, then nodded. "I believe you. I should stop and think more often." She huffed at herself, turning and adding another log to the fire, seemingly to avoid the conversation with Hiccup momentarily.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Well, " She stood and wiped her hands on her leggings. "I can see Toothless, and you haven't slain him for clothing."

Hiccup shuddered at the mere implication of it. "I would never," he said firmly.

"Good." Ayla nodded and gave a little smile. Her whole demeanor seemed to have changed. She must have thrust out the memories.

**xX Wings That Change Xx**

Trev and Toothless shuffled to make enough room for them both to settle down in the small cave. Ayla reclined against Trev and stretched her feet out towards the fire. Her toes were always cold it seemed.

Hiccup sat crossed legged by Toothless, near enough to the fire for the cold night not to bite into his skin. Ayla watched him unabashedly. He had asked if he could stay for a little bit, just until the sun was fully set and the winds died down. Ayla had nodded her agreement without asking Trev.

"So, how'd you find this cave?" Hiccup asked, staring into the fire. Ayla had built it back up again and the orange flames licked strongly, eating away at the inky darkness that lingered about the cave.

"I can't even remember," Ayla furrowed her brow. She truly couldn't. "Trev probably did," she settled on.

"Fun."

A quiet hushed over the four beings. Toothless was looking out of the cave entrance, over the sea and the starry sky. His frills were erect and swivelling, almost as if he was watching for something. Or someone. Ayla didn't worry about it however, as Trev's gaze had yet to leave the other Night Fury since the earlier incident.

Ayla didn't know why he was worked up about, since Trev had snarled at Hiccup and Toothless several times. Toothless was only doing what Trev would have done. Protecting his human. She intended to ask him about once their uninvited guests were gone.

"How was Berk before the people started accepting dragons?" Ayla asked curiously. A somber smile came over Hiccup's face and Ayla sat forward, eager to listen.

"It was, well, it was probably just like the rest of the world around here. The dragons would come and raid us for food. The Vikings would strike them down and kill them. It went on like that for hundreds of years."

"And you mean to tell me you are the one who ended the hundreds of years war?"

"What? Do you not take me for someone of great power and strength?" Hiccup joked, making his voice sound deeper than it actually was and flexing his arms as if to show off his muscles.

Ayla leaned back with an amused expression.

"No, it was more Toothless than anyone. He showed us how to stop the raids."

"How?" Ayla asked. Hiccup launched into the tale, recounting the story of a few years ago with so much detail Ayla would have thought it had happened yesterday.

She listened attentively. She had heard of those Queen dragons who took control of the lesser species and forced them to work for her, but she had never encountered any herself. She wondered if the Queen would be able to mind control her and Trev as Hiccup said she did with the other dragons. It was an interesting thought, one that would probably never have an answer.

Trev listened from his position behind Ayla, although he pretended not to, still watching Toothless. Ayla hoped that this little rut between them wouldn't hinder their bond. She didn't even know what this little rut was! Trev was probably just acting like a hatchling again.

"And then, well, we started feeding the dragons and they just never left." Hiccup finished his story. "Isn't that right bud?" He crooned, turning around and scratching Toothless's chin. He hummed at Hiccup.

"That's fascinating. You mean no one in your village holds a grudge against the dragons, even though they have taken so much from them?" Ayla asked.

Hiccup looked stricken for a moment. "No. I mean, some people are more accepting of their new neighbors than others, but I wouldn't call it a grudge. Even people who have every right to hate them have come around."

Ayla could tell this was a personal question. She had struck him close to the heart. She took a guess.

"Your Father. The Chief." She spoke, looking at Hiccup's face. He slowly turned his gaze from the flames towards her face. He dipped his head.

"How'd you know?" He asked gently.

Ayla shook her head. She was curious about why the Chief could have such a deep hatred of dragons, but she didn't dare ask, Even with her limited social experience, she knew that it was far too personal a question.

"It was my mother." Hiccup said, his eyes slipping from Ayla's. She leaned forward, very interested. "Valka. She was taken by a dragons when I was just a baby. My father says she was trying to protect me when it happened. The dragon was leaning over the cradle, and she ran in to save me, but the dragon took her instead."

"That is horrible." Ayla murmured. Hiccup scraped his fingernails along the frozen stone.

Hiccup nodded his agreement. Ayla swallowed, her throat dry all of a sudden. She thought of her own mother, who had thrown her into the river to drown because she was a dragon, verses Hiccup's mother, who had sacrificed herself to a dragon to save her son. What a backwards world it was.

"But somehow, my father found a way to accept the dragons. I don't know if it was because he loved me, or if he truly forgave them. But, he did it." Hiccup said softly, reaching back and caressing Toothless's face.

Ayla felt herself opening up, like a flower under the summer sun. True, her life and Trev's hadn't been the easiest, and they didn't have good memories of humans in the past, but everyone had good in them. People could change, and people could be understanding and accepting.

Ayla's feet moved beneath her, carrying over to Hiccup. Both Night Fury's ears pricked as Ayla embraced him. She didn't know what she was doing until it was happening. Hiccup made a muffled sound of surprise into her shoulder before hugging her back. It was strange to be embraced by another human. Hiccups arms were long and boney, snaking over her shoulders.

"I am sorry for the hardships in your life." Ayla said, rocking back onto her heels. Glancing back at Trev, she wondered why he wasn't communicating with her, as he usually did so incessantly.

Hiccup blinked at her with his dark green eyes. "Thank you. I should say the same to you." He said, readjusting his position to get more comfortable on the stone floor.

"Ayla, I don't know anything about your life. And I know I have asked you a hundred times already, but where are you from? Where have you been living your whole life? Do you know where your family is?" Hiccup looked at her earnestly. She could see his intentions were pure. Maybe he wanted to protect himself or his people, or maybe he just simply wanted to know. Either way, Ayla decided it was probably time to start sharing at least some details.

She glanced back at Trev. He nodded and pointed his nose towards Hiccup. He knew her so well, she didn't even have to pause and ask the question, he already knew what it would be.

"Trev is my family. I don't have anyone else." Ayla said, clearing her throat. "Trev rescued me when I was very young. I learned about the culture of the humans by watching from a distance. I learned your language, although you do have a bit of a funny accent." She chided.

"I do? I'm pretty sure it's you!" Hiccup laughed, clearly intrigued by her story

"We came from the mainland, where we lived for some time. A lot is unclear to me. Like a fog in my mind. We would live in little caves like this on small islands off the shore of the mainland, and go back to get food and such."

"Then, when we were in the market, I heard a rumor about a Night Fury in the North, the first one other that mys-" Ayla stopped, swallowing her words. She was really bad at this talking without revealing their secret thing.

"_You're doing fine. Keep going." _Trev encouraged.

"Than your what, Ayla?" Hiccup prodded, looking at her funny.

"Than my Night Fury." Ayla sniffed her nose. "Trev."

Hiccup's mouth twitched in a momentary frown, but he nodded for her to continue.

"Yeah. So, we started North before the snow began to fall. Once it did, Trev found us a nice cave and we holed up for the winter. When we woke up, we weren't that far away, so we found this cave any we've been here since."

Ayla looked away from Hiccup's questioning face. What had she said to make his look so confused? Her throat felt scratchy, like she swallowed sand. Ayla didn't think she'd ever talked out loud so much in her whole life.

"_Humans don't hibernate through the winter!" _Trev disclosed to her. Ayla's eyes snapped up to his. Oh no.

"Did you only eat fish all winter?" Hiccup asked. Ayla could see right through his roundabout attempt to catch her in some kind of trap from her misspeakings.

"Uh, yes."

"Huh. Must have been cold."

"Yes, it was." Ayla couldn't meet Hiccup's eyes. She could feel him looking at her, she felt sure that marks would be burned into her forehead from his incessant gaze.

Gratefully, he must have sensed her apprehension and relented his pressure about the topic.

"Anyway, I have something to show you." Hiccup said, changing the tone of their discussion. Ayla looked up, relieved.

"What is it?" She asked. Hiccup dug through the satchel on his back until her produced a leather bound book of parchment. He thumbed through several pages before turning the book around to show Ayla what it was.

Ayla reached out and took it from him, holding it so Trev could see. What it was, Ayla didn't quite know. It looked kind of like a box, but drawn inside of it where things she had seen in Hiccup's house, like a fireplace and a table and a couple of chairs. There was a bunch of what looked like sticks stacked up in the back of it and a big empty space above the first box.

Trev huffed a confused breath from his nostrils, fluttering the corners of the pages.

"Do you like it?" HIccup asked enthusiastically.

"Yes…" Ayla cautiously replied, turning her head to look at it from a different angle.

"You don't know what it is, do you?" Hiccup asked. Ayla looked up to see a gently amused smile on his face. Ayla slowly shook her head.

The boy scooted across the floor so he was sitting next to Ayla. Trev tensed at his closeness, but Ayla ran a soothing hand along his chest.

"It's a house. Or well, the plans for one." Hiccup explained. "Here is the fireplace, for cooking indoors and for warmth, and a table to eat at, and some chairs for people to sit when they come to visit you."

"Visit _me?" _Ayla asked, running her finger over the rough parchment.

"Yes, it's for you!" Hiccup chuckled and Ayla looked up at him, alarmed.

"What use would I have for a house?" She asked abruptly.

Hiccup withdrew, startled, but recovered quickly. "To live in, in Berk. Only if you want, of course. But see, here's the cool part. The whole upper level opens up so that Trev can come and go as he pleases, and he can sleep inside, with you. I know you like to be near him at night."

Ayla didn't know what to think. She pictured herself living in that little drawing, the charcoal version of herself that Hiccup had previously drawn coming and going through the door, starting a fire in the designated place and sitting in the chairs. Perhaps Astrid would come over and sit beside her. They could talk about… anything really!

"So, do you like it?" Hiccup asked again. Ayla could tell he was a bit nervous by his fidgeting fingers and his quick talking,

"I think so." She smiled softly.

X*X*X*X*X*

Hiccup left shortly after, taking Toothless and his sketch of the house and Ayla's prospects for the future with him. Toothless had rubbed her enthusiastically with his head before leaving, and Trev had allowed himself to be patted by Hiccup.

But now, Trev fell upon Ayla with a flurry of pent up emotions.

"_Why did you let him think that he could build you that house?" _The voice inside her head was flat, monotone, as it always was, but Trev posture said something entirely different. He stood, head raised, eyes ablaze, tail swishing agitatedly behind him.

"What do you mean?" Ayla shot back at him, speaking aloud as to convey her own emotion.

"_He showed you that picture and you made it seem like you wanted to live in it tomorrow!" _

"I think I want to live on Berk." Ayla's voice softened, but Trev's expression hardened.

"_That was never the plan." _

"I don't want to live my whole life according to a plan!"

Trev sat down heavily, glaring down his nose at Ayla. She felt her blood boil beneath her skin at his contemptuous expression.

"Don't look at me like that!" she snapped.

"_Like what." _

"Like you know what's best for me! I can make my own decisions!" She yelled at him. Her throat felt tight and her eyes stung with unshed tears. It was one of things Ayla hated about herself. Whenever she got angry, she started to cry. She knew it made her look weak, but she couldn't help it.

"_No, you can't. You're stuck with me whether you like it or not." _Trev's gaze turned to ice and he turned his back on Ayla, laying down facing the wall, wrapping himself tightly in his own wings.

His words hit Ayla like a blow to the stomach. She stood in place for a long moment, letting the tears slip from her eyes. They cut warm tracks down her rosy cheeks before leaving them colder than before.

Her feet carried her to the edge of the cave. The sea swirled around the base of the rock formation, the only sound in the silent night. The stars were frozen in the sky and the moon shed it's phosphorescent glow down upon the water. Ayla took in the scene without thought. She felt numb.

Very faintly, on the far Northern horizon, she could just make out the flickering yellow dots of the village of Berk, glowing like beacons in the distance, guiding Ayla towards the life she had always dreamed about having. Was it worth it though, if it meant losing the only person she ever cared about?


End file.
